The Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement will open the Kākoʻo Maui Resource Hub on Monday, Sept. 4, 2023 at the Maui Mall in Kahului, providing a cultural approach for streamlined access to aid and services to fire victims. The hub will be managed by Lahaina resident, Kukui Keahi who lost both her home and job as a result of the fires.
Open daily to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the hub will host both nonprofit service providers and representatives from various agencies, on a rotating basis, including Imua Family Services, Hawai‘i Community Lending, Hawaiian Community Assets, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation, Legal Aid Society of Hawai‘i, Papa Ola Lōkahi, FEMA, SBA and the Red Cross.
There will also be direct support available, such as Foodland vouchers, HEPA air purification systems, and direct payment support. CNHA will also be announcing shortly that the hub will be offering free workforce certification classes in HAZWOPER-40 and OSHA-30 for residents interested in clean-up and rebuild related jobs, and they will be working with local companies on job placement. See full article at MauiNow
The Kākoʻo Maui Resource Hub at Maui Mall located at 70 Ka‘ahumanu Avenue in Kahului. The resource hub will focus on providing a cultural approach to help those impacted by the fires best navigate the application process for aid and services.
On a rotating basis, several nonprofit service providers as well as representatives from various agencies will be hosted onsite to connect community members with access to aid and services—it will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“While we’ve been heartened by the amount of support and aid that has flowed into Maui, the decentralized nature of these resources has remained a significant barrier for our lāhui and residents from maximizing the aid that they qualify for,” said Kūhīo Lewis, CEO of CNHA. “We want to reduce the administrative burden as well as help with any hesitation they may have in working directly with government agencies. Our hope is for the resource hub to provide a one-stop-shop for our Maui ʻohana to get the aid and services they need in a streamlined and supportive fashion.”