By Rona Fukumoto, CEO/president of Lanakila Pacific, and Rob Van Tassell, CEO/president of Catholic Charities Hawaii
While public attention is rightly focused on the needs of our state’s displaced Lahaina residents, a troubling funding situation is unfolding that impacts the very heart of Hawaii’s myriad public services. A coalition of more than 50 local community-based organizations (CBOs), known as the Hawaii True Cost Coalition, has joined forces to address this pressing issue. …
Yet, our operations are in jeopardy due to longstanding issues related to insufficient funding for government contracts and growing needs. The economic challenges brought on by the pandemic, the persistent possibility of a federal government shut down, and now the wildfires that destroyed communities on Maui raise the stakes for a resolution.
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Island Voices