Raise Up Hawaiʻi demands higher minimum wage
An increased minimum wage would not only put food on families’ tables but put money in their pockets for spending at local businesses.

Aloha Friday Conversation: Seizing affordable housing opportunities in Hawaiʻi
This episode of "The Conversation" is packed with discussions about Hawaiʻi's housing and homelessness crisis and policy solutions advocates are working to implement at the state and county level.

Biden’s spending bill could be a ‘game changer’ for housing in Hawaiʻi
The Build Back Better bill that the U.S. Senate is debating has the potential to make a huge dent in Hawaiʻi’s affordable housing needs, according to advocates.

Amid inflation fears, Hawaiʻi business owners and consumers brace for rising prices
Consumer prices nationwide reached their highest levels in a decade last month, potentially impacting local businesses and consumers.

How the ‘Build Back Better’ plan saves money and lives
The answer lies in an expansion of the strategy that held the line against poverty in 2020 and that helped America out of the Great Depression.

Rental assistance fell victim to politics, bureaucracy
Nationwide, state leaders set aside $2.6 billion to prop up struggling renters, but a year later more than 16 percent hasn’t made it to tenants or landlords.

A cautious legislature, locked in the capitol, played it safe
Critics hoped the pandemic would be the catalyst for significant changes to address longterm problems facing Hawaiʻi. But the budget shortfall dominated the 2021 session.

The pandemic has transformed how aid groups help elderly in need
Federal COVID-19 relief funds helped local groups coordinate outreach to better serve kupuna who were often isolated during the pandemic.

Lawmakers should pass tax bills to fix our upside-down tax system
Minimum wage earners should not be paying a higher percentage in taxes than those at the top.

Economic recovery should focus on working families
And Hawaiʻi’s lawmakers should pass legislation that supports workers’ well-being.

Should I stay or should I go? The lack of affordable housing in Hawaiʻi
The cost of living in Hawaiʻi continues to rise, most notably due to the lack of affordable housing. How do we find a feasible solution?

Hawaiʻi Appleseed Center stresses importance of city’s rent relief program
After just four hours, the city's new rent relief program was suspended because so many people applied. The $114 million in federal money is for back and future rent and utilities.

Bill would expand DA BUX food program
The measure is intended to provide low-income people easier access to healthier food choices and to help local farmers and ranchers.

Here’s how tax increases are shaking out in the Hawaiʻi legislature
Senators moved to raise income taxes on high earners, and the House passed capital gains and inheritance tax increases.

State offers more food stamp flexibility amid record participation
Most SNAP applications are now processed online and members can now use their EBT cards to make online purchases for pick-up at select Walmart locations.

Over 400 organizations urge senate to pass American Rescue Plan for state and local aid
The organizations highlighted how state and local budgets have been slashed, causing job losses in critical sectors like education and healthcare that will be central to addressing the public health crisis.

Hawaiʻi lawmakers mull mediation to prevent mass evictions after moratorium lifted
A bill would require landlords to enter mediation upon a tenant’s request, but some advocates say the measure doesn’t do enough to protect renters at risk of eviction.

Legislature considers increasing minimum wage amid pandemic
Advocates argue that raising the minimum wage will not only help workers make ends meet, but also stimulate the local economy.

$12 minimum wage hike clears key Senate committees
In recent years there’s been increasing support from the state’s leading lawmakers and Democratic Party to pay workers a living wage, but the gap between that figure and what lawmakers have been willing to pass remains wide.

Minimum wage hike up to timing
Hawaiʻi’s high cost of living, makes a minimum wage increase vital for low-income workers, including many who have been on the pandemic’s front lines.