The September 11th attack
Maui to give its needy money to tide them over
By Timothy Hurley
Advertiser Maui County Bureau
WAILUKU, Maui — Maui County residents who are having trouble paying their bills in the economic aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks may get vouchers averaging $460 each from a special program approved by the County Council yesterday.
The $1.5 million emergency program is the first such relief effort in the state to provide temporary financial assistance to those who lost their jobs or experienced reduced work hours following the East Coast tragedy.
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For more information on the HELP program, call Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. at (808) 249-2990 or (808) 249-2970.
The money will be handed over to the nonprofit agency Maui Economic Opportunity Inc., which will administer a three-month program called the Hawai'i Emergency Laulima Partnership (HELP).
MEO officials said they would begin accepting applications for assistance starting Monday.
The program, developed by Mayor James "Kimo" Apana's administration with MEO, will provide an estimated 3,000 vouchers averaging $460 each to help financially strapped workers with housing, food, utility and medical expenses. The program will also be open to those who are self-employed.
County money supporting the program will be drawn from public service company tax revenue that the council earlier placed into a "rainy day'' fund.
Apana described the council's action as historic.
"In a world of uncertainty, I believe that the MEO HELP program will provide our residents with an important measure of comfort and security," Apana said.
Sean McLaughlin, president of the Maui Non-Profit Directors, praised the mayor and council members for taking the lead in addressing the needs of the people.
"The collateral impacts of terrorism are stretching the fabric of our society,'' McLaughlin said. "Maui's nonprofits are prepared to address the terrible ongoing impacts of war, but we need support from leaders in the public and private sectors.''
Numerous Maui hotels and tourism-related business have laid off workers and cut back employment hours because of the decreasing number of visitors following the Sept. 11 attacks. Nearly 900 Maui County people applied for unemployment benefits from the state in the past month alone, officials said.
To qualify for the program, one must be a Maui County resident who can prove a financial hardship that resulted after Sept. 11. Applicants must have applied for unemployment. They must also have a paycheck stub or other documentation showing they were employed on Sept. 11, as well as similar proof to show current income.
Those who are self-employed must document income loss with copies of their General Excise Tax records for August and September.
A household can apply for assistance only once in a 30-day period.
MEO will be accepting applications Monday at its offices in Kahului at 99 Mahalani St. Parking will be available at the Ichiro "Iron'' Maehara Baseball Stadium at the War Memorial Complex. MEO will run a shuttle to and from the stadium parking lot.
Applications will be taken from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding county holidays. Applications will also be taking at various nonprofit agencies throughout Maui County, including Moloka'i and Lana'i.
