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Celebrating A Diversity of May Events
Lei Day, Mother's Day, Children's Mental Health Acceptance month, National Foster Care Month, and Asian American and Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander Heritage Month - there's lots to acknowledge and commemorate this month!
Mental health is shifting from awareness to acceptance - a call to action to change how we think, speak, and behave. Check out CAMHD's events calendar for ways to participate.
This year for Foster Care Month, the focus is on kinship care. These ties help keep families connected and maintain cultural traditions, which are a source of pride and strength. Download the foster care month outreach toolkit. Here on Maui, learn more about supports available for resource caregivers and foster children from Village of Hope.
Honoring the diverse heritages of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders is more important than ever this year in the wake of increased hate crimes during the pandemic and continued health and economic disparities. Both the federal and state government have made historic financial allocations to address these inequities and benefit children and families. Now that's something to celebrate!
Deb Marois, Ho'oikaika Partnership Coordinator
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RSVP for Ho'oikaika Partnership May 11 Meeting
Mark your calendars - our general meetings are on the second Wednesday of each month. The regularly scheduled monthly Ho'oikaika Partnership meeting will take place on Wednesday, May 11, 2022, from 11:30am–1pm.
The meeting agenda is available as a PDF and a MS Word document. All meeting materials can be accessed in the 2022-05-11 HP General Meeting folder on Google drive.
This month, we'll share agency announcements, hear a brief update on Navigation Services and this year's Celebration of Fathers event, learn how the #ohanatokstory social media challenge is progressing, and discuss our next steps in response to the Preliminary Assessment of Family Services Supports and Needs on Maui County: A Synthesis of Existing Resources & Reports. Take a look at our collective Jamboard to see partners' initial responses to last month's presentation by the Stellar Group.
RSVP for the meeting by clicking on one of the links below. NOTE: We are trying a new registration system. The green button will take you to a registration page. You will receive the Zoom link after you register. Please RSVP by CLOSE of Business on May 10. We do our best to add people close to the time of the meeting, but once the meeting starts, we are not monitoring email.
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A Journey to Healing Video
The Community Engagement Committee previewed the film A Journey To Healing at our April Ho'oikaika Partnership Meeting. Download to share with your clients and co-workers, post on your agency website and social media, and use in training.
CLICK HERE to Download or Watch the Video on YouTube
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Ho'oikaika Launches Redesigned Website
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How Do You Show Aloha at Home? Ho'oikaika's Social Media Challenge
#ohanatokstory #hooikaikapartnership
Ho'oikaika Partners are teaming up to leverage the power of social media to recognize family strengths, educate about protective factors, and share family strengthening resources. The Boys & Girls Club, Early Childhood Action Strategy Aloha at Home initiative (ECAS) and MFSS's Early Literacy Project have joined HP's Navigator and Coordinator to spearhead the effort.
Two weeks completed, three to go - one for each protective factor. The theme "How do you show Aloha at Home" takes a fresh approach each week. Week 2 focused on mealtimes and this week's challenge highlights weekends. First prize winners have received a family tour donated by Maui Butterfly Farm and a Galaxy Tablet, generously donated by Family Programs Hawai'i.
Since the challenge started in April, Ho'oikaika Partnership Facebook page views are up 178% and our posts have reached about 6000 people! People are beginning to follow partner pages and clicking on resources to learn more.
How You Can Participate
- Like and Follow Ho'oikaika Partnership on Facebook and Instagram.
- Share Ho'oikaika Partnership's posts and tag @hooikaikapartnership.
- Use hash tags #hooikaikapartnership #ohanatokstory
- Encourage others to participate. Share the challenge with families that you work and socialize with. Demonstrate that it's an easy, fun way to engage and they can win prizes for their 'ohana. Most people have thousands of family photos on their phone.
- Create Your Own Social Media Posts. Providers are often parents too! You're eligible to enter to win prizes so show us your Aloha at Home! Take 5 minutes and do it now.
Week 3 Prizes (Must be Maui County Resident to Win)
- 1st prize choice of Amazon Fire Tablet, or $100 Target or gas gift card
- 2nd & 3rd prize: choice of $50 Target or gas gift card
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Housing Issues on Maui
From Civil Beat: Report: Maui Needs A Plan If It Actually Wants To End Homelessness
Maui’s Cost of Government Commission, a nine-member group tasked with looking for ways to make the county government more effective, recently released a 559-page report looking at ways Maui could end homelessness and ensure that anyone who loses their housing can get into a shelter.
Like many communities, the presence of people living on streets has become increasingly visible on Maui. Experts say this is the result of decades of policy decisions and the economic consequences that followed: slashing funding for federal housing programs, the lack of investment in mental and physical health care, mass incarceration, soaring housing prices and stagnant wages for the working class.
Maui also lacks enough services to care for people experiencing mental health crises, and for those struggling with substance abuse, it can sometimes take weeks to get into treatment. And, like other communities in Hawaii, it’s simply become harder to afford housing. When accounting for inflation, Maui’s typical household income has “stayed basically constant” since 2005, according to a recent report by the Maui Economic Development Board.
There are probably between 1,000- 2,000 people without housing on any given day, but only 360 beds available in shelters to serve them, according to the state.
The report’s main suggestion: Use county dollars to hire an expert to come up with a plan to end homelessness.
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Advocacy for Children and Families Pays Off
On Tuesday, May 3, State legislators took a stand for working families in Hawai‘i, passing several key measures including an increase to the state’s minimum wage. House Bill 2510 incrementally raises the minimum wage to $18 an hour by 2028 and makes the earned income tax credit permanent and refundable.Policymakers also included $26 million in the state budget to restore dental benefits for adults in the state Medicaid program.
Lawmakers also approved Senate Bill 206, which prohibits rental discrimination against those who receive Section 8 housing assistance. Minimum wage workers needed to work 114 hours per week to afford a one-bedroom apartment in the islands in 2021, according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition. Lawmakers passed House Bill 2233, authorizing the state Department of Human Services to provide additional housing assistance subsidies of up to $500 per month to Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Temporary Assistance for Other Needy Families program participants.
READ MORE
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State Legislature Takes Action on CWS Reform
Planning for long-term change, the Department of Human Services did not ask the legislature for additional funding this year. High vacancy rates and stressful working conditions are among the challenges. Recruitment and strengthening the current workforce with training are the focus of their strategies. Additionally, the department is examininig contracts and how to provide additional or enhanced services to better serve our community.
The legislature took action, passing HB 2424, which includes $8 million to expand recruitment and training of foster parents and Child Welfare Services social workers, and also boost pay for experienced CWS workers. Another $1 million would be used to upgrade the CWS computer systems. The measure also provides $250,000 to support the work of a “Malama Ohana” working group that is tasked with providing a report to lawmakers before the 2024 session of the Legislature.
Read More About Proposed Solutions: Isabella Kalua’s Death Has Yet To Trigger A Clear Plan To Bolster Child Protection.
Read More About Bills Advance To Reform Child Welfare System And Create New Law Enforcement Agency
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High Marks for Quality But Access to Pre-School Needs Improvement in Hawai'i
Each year, the National Institute for Early Education Research at Rutgers University ranks state early education efforts. Hawaiʻi is one of the leaders in state funding for preschool per child and in quality. The Executive Office on Early Learning program met all 10 of the quality standard benchmarks, one of only five programs to do so. But access is a different story. The state ranked 44 out of 45 states surveyed because it only reached 2% of 4-year-olds across the Islands. There are 18,000 seats needed and programs do not serve three year olds.
Read Full Article
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Your Input on Healthcare Needed! May 10th
Join the Virtual Community Talk Story to share your feedback on healthcare in our community.
Tuesday May 10th 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Click Here to Register
At the request of the Maui Representatives in the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, Hulihia is working on a holistic assessment that examines healthcare on Maui and Lānaʻi.
The findings will provide the state legislature and Maui Health Systems a clearer understanding of community needs, opportunities to reduce barriers, and how to serve the community going forward.
This initiative is driven by a partnership between Kamehameha Schools and University of Hawai'i Maui College.
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15th Annual Celebration of Fathers June 4th
Join MFSS and community partners on Saturday, June 4th from 9am-12 noon at the Baldwin High School parking lot for fun, giveaways, community resources and more. There is room for 25 providers (more if needed!) to host tables and share information at this drive-through event.
Set up time is from 8:00am to 8:30am. Please bring your own tent, supplies, table(s) and chair(s). Also remember to bring tie-downs & weights to secure your tent. Volunteers will help you put up and secure your tent as needed.
View a video of last year's COF event
Click here for Provider Registration Form
Questions? Contact Kawika Mattos at 281-6682 (or) MFSS at 242-0900
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The Groundwater Approach: Racial Equity Training for Early Childhood Workers June 7 & 9
This virtual training offers a learning space to provide a common way to further understand, language, and therefore better address the inequity in our systems.
WHEN: Tuesday, June 7, 2022 from 9 am - 12 noon and Thursday, June 9, 2022 from 9 -11 am.
FEE: $75
Click Here to Register
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A Special Gift for Trying Times: Wiser Conflict
Conflict is an opportunity for positive change. The team at MAPping Change truly believes there are great opportunities in these trying times, if we have the skills, confidence, and courage to seize them. Sign up for one of their free monthly conflict and communication workshops to build your skills and enhance your confidence to turn conflict into positive change.
The Art of Clear Courageous Communication
May 17 & July 14, 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM HST
Location: Zoom
Register for FREE
If you struggle to say what you need to say in the moments it matters most, you’re not alone. This innovative workshop brings together mindfulness, emerging brain science, and best practices in effective communication to help you overcome the barriers to be able to say what you need to say. In this 90-minute virtual experience, you'll learn practical and powerful techniques to help you prepare for difficult conversations. READ MORE
A Matter of Style: Navigating Culture and Power in Conflict
May 26 & July 26, 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM HST
Location: Zoom
Register for FREE
Would you like to be more competent, confident, and courageous when it comes to handling conflict in your life? This interactive, two-hour virtual workshop explores how early experiences, culture, and perceptions of power impact how we handle conflict, and teaches two questions you can use to choose the right style for the best results. READ MORE
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Center for Lived Experience Launches May 12
Join Think of Us to launch the Center for Lived Experience, a groundbreaking research, policy, and community initiative that integrates the insights, data, and leadership of people with lived experience. By coupling lived experience with best-in-class data, they have created scalable solutions that improve outcomes for children and families to re-design the child welfare system.
About the Center for Lived Experience (CLE): Those closest to the problems within foster care – people with lived experience in the system – are the best equipped to share what’s working, what’s not, and what changes will improve lives for generations to come.
Join the virtual Evening of Centering Lived Experience
Thursday, May 12th | 12 pm HT
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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