Maui Economic Opportunity has been gathering community’s input on the
“causes that could lead to poverty” in Maui County and encourages more
submissions before the survey’s deadline of Wednesday, June 25.
So far MEO has received more than 200 responses, which will be used to
develop a Community Needs Assessment and a three-year Community Action Plan
to address the needs. The causes of poverty for assessment on the survey
include cost of living, financial literacy, affordable housing, food
insecurity, and many others.
The Community Action Plan, which has been a staple of MEO’s efforts to
support people in need in Maui County, will cover 2027-30.
The link to the survey is: https://forms.gle/uq57oVKrHpHcKUvx8. Printed
copies may be obtained by calling Executive Assistant Lauren Amano at (808)
249-2990 or visiting MEO at 99 Mahalani St. in Wailuku.
MEO was established 60 years ago through the American Opportunity Act, part
of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The agency is one of more
than a thousand Community Action Agencies across the nation (and four in
Hawai`i) formed to tackle poverty.
The federal Community Action organizational standards call for Community
Action Agencies to conduct a Community Needs Assessment every three years.
The assessment considers the perceptions of the causes of poverty and the
breadth of community needs addressing the causes.
