I suggest the Maui County Council review the new Department of Housing's budget with the recommended steps to implement the Comprehensive Affordable Housing Plan developed by the Council in 2021. You have taken the first step in implementing the plan by your resolution for the Mayor to hire a cabinet level affordable housing coordinator. The other 7 steps that were recommended include funding the Affordable Housing fund with bonds, a community oversight board, funding infrastructure with County Funds, contracting with non profit community development corporations and others, update the permit approval process, and provide help to local residents so that they can accessing homes that our built for them. I ask that you review the proposed Housing budget in light of these recommended actions by your 2021 effort to create a structure to guide our actions to build affordable homes for our local residents at the incomes they are paid. Thanks for your actions.
RE: Testimony in Support of Maui AIDS Foundation’s grants from the COUNTY OF MAUI Mayor Richard T. Bissen Jr.’s Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2025, Agenda Item 1.a. for the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committed, April 11, 2024 at 9:00 am.
Aloha Council Committee Chair Sugimura, Vice-Chair Kama, Committee Members Lee, Rawlins-Fernandez, Sinenci, Johnson, Paltin, Cook, and U’u-Hodgins,
Maui AIDS Foundation, (MAF), is a nonprofit health and social service organization serving the residents of Maui County for over 37 years. I have had the honor of working for this organization for over 25 years, and find its vision and mission inspiring. The basic goals of the Maui AIDS Foundation’s Treatment Core Services programs are to minimize/eliminate HIV/HCV/STIs through testing, education, and to extend a linkage to medical care. MAF also provides Harm Reduction services including Narcan training/distribution and Syringe Exchange services and access to our food pantry.
Our organization requested $172,000 in core service grant funding, $119,000 for Free Clinic Expansion, and $70,000 to increase prevention and harm reduction education services. The budget proposal reflects a grant of $140,000 through DHHS; this is the same amount awarded in the last 2-year contract. The need for these services have expanded because of the Maui Wildfire disaster; but the funding remains exactly the same in an environment that makes fundraising a near impossible challenge against businesses and displaced residents for those finite community dollars.
MAF understands that the funding is tight right now, but Free Clinics unburden public resources at a rate of $34 per $1 invested. We are asking this Council to invest wisely in our organization which will prevent long-term increases in health care treatment, opioid overdose, and food insecurity for houseless residents.
Many STIs can be cured or treated with medication, the consequences of untreated STIs can include infertility, pregnancy complications, cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, birth defects, death, and an increase in HIV/STI transmission in the community. STIs are a state-wide concern with Hawaii ranking very high in congenital syphilis, primary and secondary syphilis, and chlamydia. Untreated infections may raise a person’s risk of cancer.
MAF assists those incarcerated, those living with Hepatitis and other STIs, people living with HIV, those suffering with substance use issues, LGBTQIA+ and Mahu populations, women and youth at-risk, Native Hawaiian communities, and those with mental illness disorders by offering a wide-range of linkage to care that promotes wellness and enhances quality of life.
Along with the originally requested, $172,000 in core services grant funding, we are requesting the additional $119,000 grant funding to assist the agency with expanding capacity to enable staff, to begin some vaccination services by hiring an RN or LPN to support our only current provider, Dr. Bryan Chin.
Mahalo for your consideration to increase funding for our County Grant Proposals. Our hope is to reduce the stigma around and provide free sexual health services to our community. We can affect this outcome with your help.
Arnold Abe, Harm Reduction Specialist
Maui AIDS Foundation
1935 Main Street, #101
Wailuku, Hawaii 96793
arnold@mauiaids.org
808-242-4900
www.mauiaids.org
Aloha,
My name is Kalani Nakoa and currently one of the board of directors for the Maui Humane Society, holding the position as Co-Vice Chair. I am writing this testimony in hopes that the county will view our role in the community to be extremely vital for the welfare and care our pets. There are several important areas we are in need as we focus on the care of our pets. These areas are Animal Shelter, Humane Enforcement, Spay/Neuter Program, and the recent need to assist Molokai Island with revamping and updating their shelter.
Animal Shelter: We intake approximately 5,000 animals a year, and anticipate this number to increase with the recent August 2023 Lahaina Fires. We are currently contracted by the County to provide services such as shelter, food and medical care, and with the rising numbers, we humbly request your kokua to help assist with additional funding of approximately $200k to meet our proposed budget.
Humane Enforcement: We have been met with an alarming increase to provide animal control and humane enforcement services by our community due to increase in calls, a spike that occurred during the wildfires. Our current increase based on logged miles is approximately 26% in response to service calls for animals in distress or victims of suspected animal cruelty.
Spay/Neuter Program: During the wildfires, we were forced to close our doors to the public for two months so that the veterinary team could focus on providing emergency medical care for the animals injured during the fires. To improve the backlog due to the two month closure, we increased public appointments by 40% and opened up additional weekly appointments exclusively for dogs. We appreciate the increase the Mayor has proposed for the spay/neuter services, as the $165k is urgently needed to meet the needs of our community.
Molokai Island: An in person testimony will be provided at the hearing regarding this area of need.
While there are additional points in each area noted above, I have provided either an overall view or a summary of why it is important for us to seek your kokua. Our community needs us to continue doing the work we do in order to be there when help is needed to care for the health and welfare of their pets and animals. Together with county financial assistance, we can achieve this goal.
Mahalo...Kalani Nakoa
Board Co-Vice Chair, Maui Humane Society
I suggest the Maui County Council review the new Department of Housing's budget with the recommended steps to implement the Comprehensive Affordable Housing Plan developed by the Council in 2021. You have taken the first step in implementing the plan by your resolution for the Mayor to hire a cabinet level affordable housing coordinator. The other 7 steps that were recommended include funding the Affordable Housing fund with bonds, a community oversight board, funding infrastructure with County Funds, contracting with non profit community development corporations and others, update the permit approval process, and provide help to local residents so that they can accessing homes that our built for them. I ask that you review the proposed Housing budget in light of these recommended actions by your 2021 effort to create a structure to guide our actions to build affordable homes for our local residents at the incomes they are paid. Thanks for your actions.
TESTIMONY FROM ARNOLD ABE
RE: Testimony in Support of Maui AIDS Foundation’s grants from the COUNTY OF MAUI Mayor Richard T. Bissen Jr.’s Budget Proposal for Fiscal Year 2025, Agenda Item 1.a. for the Budget, Finance and Economic Development Committed, April 11, 2024 at 9:00 am.
Aloha Council Committee Chair Sugimura, Vice-Chair Kama, Committee Members Lee, Rawlins-Fernandez, Sinenci, Johnson, Paltin, Cook, and U’u-Hodgins,
Maui AIDS Foundation, (MAF), is a nonprofit health and social service organization serving the residents of Maui County for over 37 years. I have had the honor of working for this organization for over 25 years, and find its vision and mission inspiring. The basic goals of the Maui AIDS Foundation’s Treatment Core Services programs are to minimize/eliminate HIV/HCV/STIs through testing, education, and to extend a linkage to medical care. MAF also provides Harm Reduction services including Narcan training/distribution and Syringe Exchange services and access to our food pantry.
Our organization requested $172,000 in core service grant funding, $119,000 for Free Clinic Expansion, and $70,000 to increase prevention and harm reduction education services. The budget proposal reflects a grant of $140,000 through DHHS; this is the same amount awarded in the last 2-year contract. The need for these services have expanded because of the Maui Wildfire disaster; but the funding remains exactly the same in an environment that makes fundraising a near impossible challenge against businesses and displaced residents for those finite community dollars.
MAF understands that the funding is tight right now, but Free Clinics unburden public resources at a rate of $34 per $1 invested. We are asking this Council to invest wisely in our organization which will prevent long-term increases in health care treatment, opioid overdose, and food insecurity for houseless residents.
Many STIs can be cured or treated with medication, the consequences of untreated STIs can include infertility, pregnancy complications, cervical cancer, pelvic inflammatory disease, birth defects, death, and an increase in HIV/STI transmission in the community. STIs are a state-wide concern with Hawaii ranking very high in congenital syphilis, primary and secondary syphilis, and chlamydia. Untreated infections may raise a person’s risk of cancer.
MAF assists those incarcerated, those living with Hepatitis and other STIs, people living with HIV, those suffering with substance use issues, LGBTQIA+ and Mahu populations, women and youth at-risk, Native Hawaiian communities, and those with mental illness disorders by offering a wide-range of linkage to care that promotes wellness and enhances quality of life.
Along with the originally requested, $172,000 in core services grant funding, we are requesting the additional $119,000 grant funding to assist the agency with expanding capacity to enable staff, to begin some vaccination services by hiring an RN or LPN to support our only current provider, Dr. Bryan Chin.
Mahalo for your consideration to increase funding for our County Grant Proposals. Our hope is to reduce the stigma around and provide free sexual health services to our community. We can affect this outcome with your help.
Arnold Abe, Harm Reduction Specialist
Maui AIDS Foundation
1935 Main Street, #101
Wailuku, Hawaii 96793
arnold@mauiaids.org
808-242-4900
www.mauiaids.org
Please find my testimony attached.
Aloha,
My name is Kalani Nakoa and currently one of the board of directors for the Maui Humane Society, holding the position as Co-Vice Chair. I am writing this testimony in hopes that the county will view our role in the community to be extremely vital for the welfare and care our pets. There are several important areas we are in need as we focus on the care of our pets. These areas are Animal Shelter, Humane Enforcement, Spay/Neuter Program, and the recent need to assist Molokai Island with revamping and updating their shelter.
Animal Shelter: We intake approximately 5,000 animals a year, and anticipate this number to increase with the recent August 2023 Lahaina Fires. We are currently contracted by the County to provide services such as shelter, food and medical care, and with the rising numbers, we humbly request your kokua to help assist with additional funding of approximately $200k to meet our proposed budget.
Humane Enforcement: We have been met with an alarming increase to provide animal control and humane enforcement services by our community due to increase in calls, a spike that occurred during the wildfires. Our current increase based on logged miles is approximately 26% in response to service calls for animals in distress or victims of suspected animal cruelty.
Spay/Neuter Program: During the wildfires, we were forced to close our doors to the public for two months so that the veterinary team could focus on providing emergency medical care for the animals injured during the fires. To improve the backlog due to the two month closure, we increased public appointments by 40% and opened up additional weekly appointments exclusively for dogs. We appreciate the increase the Mayor has proposed for the spay/neuter services, as the $165k is urgently needed to meet the needs of our community.
Molokai Island: An in person testimony will be provided at the hearing regarding this area of need.
While there are additional points in each area noted above, I have provided either an overall view or a summary of why it is important for us to seek your kokua. Our community needs us to continue doing the work we do in order to be there when help is needed to care for the health and welfare of their pets and animals. Together with county financial assistance, we can achieve this goal.
Mahalo...Kalani Nakoa
Board Co-Vice Chair, Maui Humane Society