Our local economy is coming back
This week’s column starts with some good news. The state’s pre-travel COVID-19 testing program has jumpstarted our local economy. Since early October, more than 3,000 Maui County residents have returned to work. While encouraging, we know it’s just a start.
We also know that runaway spread of coronavirus on the Mainland requires us to remain vigilant and ready to adjust course quickly. Protecting public health while rebuilding our economy is a delicate, but necessary balancing act.
In mid-December, the Mayor’s Economic Recovery & Resiliency Task Force will reconvene to recommend next steps to stabilize recent progress. Our task force is made up of business and community leaders who are your neighbors and friends. Months ago, they agreed to generously donate their time and talent to advise my administration on funding priorities to help Maui County survive the initial shocks of COVID-19. Their recommendations were the basis for our COVID-19 recovery programs.
On March 30, our first public food distribution in Pukalani supplied 300 bags of food to residents with the support of VIP Foodservice, Pukalani Superette, Mahi Pono, Maui Chemical, Matson and Aloha Waste Systems Inc. Later, others would join the effort, including Maui County Farm Bureau, Hawai‘i Farmers Union United and more. To support farmers and ranchers, the county purchased more than $1 million worth of produce and ground beef from our farmers and ranchers on Moloka‘i, Lana’i and Maui. Since March, the county has distributed more than 800,000 pounds of food through this program.
To help soften the blow of job losses, Maui County partnered with the hardworking folks at Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. on the Hawai‘i Emergency Laulima Program (HELP). By combining Maui County and CARES Act funding, we distributed more than $9.7 million to 12,494 Maui County households. These families have been able to buy food, medicine and/or make payments for rent, mortgage, transportation, utilities and other essential needs during this crisis.
Maui County also helped many small businesses, farmers and ranchers. The $1.75 million Micro Business Loan Program, established with the the Maui Chamber of Commerce, has helped several small businesses with 10 or fewer employees. To date, 97 businesses have benefitted from these essential loans. Forty-four Maui business owners who fell short on rent or mortgage payments got help from the Small Business Commercial Mortgage & Rent Relief program. We also helped those who continue to feed us through the Maui County Farm & Ranch Continuity Program. We directed $2.5 million in CARES Act funding to help farmers and ranchers recover from COVID-related losses. So far, 19 companies have benefitted from this program. Farmers, ranchers and other agricultural companies are urged to apply for funding through the Maui Chamber of Commerce.
The county also directed $5.5 million of CARES Act funding to the MEDB Adaptability Fund directed toward helping small businesses shift their operations to adjust to the new conditions brought on by COVID19.
In another important collaboration, Maui County partnered with six local federal credit unions to distribute $11 million in CARES Act money through the Kokua Maui County Small Business Recovery & Relief Fund for eligible businesses. To date, nearly 1,000 Maui businesses, 31 Moloka‘i and seven Lana‘i businesses have benefitted from this program. Our small businesses are the backbone of our community.
Another task force recommendation was the $1.8 million Health CARES Hui, administered by Hale Makua in collaboration with Hui No Ke Ola Pono, Malama I Ke Ola Health Center, Habitat for Humanity, Hale Mahaolu, Kula Hospital, East Maui Kupuna Hui and Maui Medical Group. The program is developing new health care jobs for displaced workers and recent graduates, expanding prepped meal delivery to kupuna and high-risk families and increasing home health care services.
While the dollars and the data are impressive, even more inspiring are the thousands of hours that Maui County residents have freely given to others while coping with COVID-19 in their own homes and businesses. They have packed produce boxes, watched their neighbor’s kids, worked on our task force or driven seniors to their doctors. Every contribution, no matter how small, has been necessary and significant. And deeply appreciated.
For additional information on Maui County’s COVID-19 assistance programs, please visit: https://mauinuistrong.net/.