MAUI EQUITABLE & JUST RECOVERY PROPOSALS
Issued by the Maui Tenants Association – a project of the Hawai’i Workers Center
8/17/23
MAUI RECOVERY THE RIGHT WAY – LET’S NOT RETURN TO THE STATUS QUO OR REPEAT MISTAKES OF THE PAST
We are urging the following necessary policies and measures in order for Maui to recover in a way beneficial to the people:
- Moratorium. At least a 1-year moratorium on evictions, rent increases,foreclosures by landlords and a ban on predatory buying of homes and land.
- Unemployment Insurance (UI). The State Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) must activate its crisis response and undertake to ensure the following for Maui’s unemployed workers:
- Unemployment checks must be issued to applicants within 30 days after application is made, and there should be a 60-day grace period for Maui applicants who may lack some needed documentation. During the grace period payments should commence while Maui applicants have time to recover/replace documents.
- DLIR must be adequately staffed to ensure a timely application and payment process; we cannot afford to see what happened with unemployment claims several years ago during COVID when thousands went without or waited for many months to receive benefits:
- State UI workers should provide in-person assistance and go to shelters, hotels and community centers to help workers apply for UI benefits: DLIR must comply with language access requirements.
- For claimant eligibility and calculating payment amounts, periods of self-employment and mixed employment should be allowed and included.
- Allow Sheltering of Individuals in Dwellings. Displaced residents should be allowed to shelter in or be a guest in a dwelling for up to one year or until 2,000 units of affordable housing have been added to the housing supply.
- Pet Acceptance by Landlords. Require landlords to allow individuals and families displaced by the fires in Lahaina and Kula to bring their pets with them
- USE AVAILABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT FUND AND PRIVATE DONATIONS TO PROVIDE CASH ASSISTANCE TO MEMBERS OF OUR MAUI COMMUNITY WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR CASH ASSISTANCE FROM FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Assistance DUE TO IMMIGRATION STATUS SUCH AS COFA (Compact of Free Association) MIGRANTS. We are all in this together! We are one ohana. This is not a time to exclude anyone in need.
- HAWAI’I should immediately request federal SNAP Disaster Assistance (Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP) which can help all with food needs regardless of immigration/migration status.
For further information and media inquiries, please contact:
Sergio Alcubilla
Hawai’i Workers Center 808-371-4805