$6.6M in Projects Headed to Rural Areas, Neighbor Islands

Congressman Kaialiʻi Kahele announced today that $6,686,000 in Community Funded Projects will be headed to Hawaiʻi’s second congressional district.

The funding, which was included in the federal government funding package that passed through the U.S. House of Representatives today, is expected to be signed into law by the President next week, Kahele stated in a news release Thursday, March 10.

“These Community Funded Projects, secured by my office and granted to deserving non-profit organizations, state and county agencies, will support locally led priorities such as protecting our environment, educational opportunities for our keiki and addressing healthcare disparities in our rural communities,” Kahele stated. “The funding will uplift underserved areas throughout our islands and will have a profound impact in the lives of many across Hawaiʻi’s second congressional district.”

The district encompasses the entire state outside of O‘ahu, and all rural and most suburban areas outside of the City and County of Honolulu.

The allocated Community Funded Projects are:

• $1,200,000 for the Council for the Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) Trades and Entrepreneurship Academy, Kauaʻi, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu. CNHA will implement nine cohorts throughout Hawaiʻi and plans to select and train an estimated 360 residents between the ages of 18-44 in a middle-skill trades job to improve their socioeconomic conditions.
• $1,000,000 for Hana Health, Maui. This funding will help finance the Hana Health Rehabilitation and Support Center which is designed to meet the health care needs of the almost 2,000 people residing in the Hana District. All district residents will benefit from having access to an expanded level of health care services in this remote and low to moderate income region of the island where at least 62% of households are below the median income level.
• $1,000,000 for the Boys and Girls Club of the Big Island – Keaʻau-Puna Youth Development Community Center, Hawaiʻi Island. These funds will finance a centralized building facility that provides access to secure daily supplemental nutrition, basic needs critical resources, affordable out-of-school child care services and other disaster relief programs. This Boys and Girls Club will be the only afterschool location for many of Puna’s keiki.
• $1,000,000 for Paʻa Pono Miloliʻi for the Miloliʻi Community Enrichment and Historical Center, Hawaiʻi Island. Funding for this project is to complete the construction of three structures: a main multi-purpose community center, two separate adjoining structures north of the Community Center, additional classrooms including funding for landscaping, a playground and restroom facility.
• $896,000 for MAʻO Organic Farms, Oʻahu. This agriculture infrastructure investment funds a new facility and overall expansion efforts to bolster college enrollment, retention, and attainment, while equipping youth with practical and leadership skills and knowledge to succeed in the workplace and beyond through agriculture.
• $650,000 for the Kauaʻi Creative Technology Center, Kauaʻi. The construction of the Kauaʻi Creative Technology Center will bring the necessary facilities and infrastructure to support creative media users on Kauaʻi to be competitive on a global scale, including a soundproof room/studio, collaborative workspaces, and high-speed internet.
• $500,000 for the Nature Conservancy, Putting People to Work Supporting Community-Based Co-Management of Coastal Resources Program, Hawaiʻi Island and Maui. This funding will be used for supporting Hawai‘i Island’s and Maui’s coastal communities by managing Hawaiʻi’s coral reefs and nearshore fisheries to increase health and abundance while building coastal and community resilience.
• $340,00 for the DLNR/DOCARE Academy Program, Statewide. This funding will be used to train 40 new Conservation Resource Officers. The training includes Hawaiʻi statutory law, the rules of evidence, search and seizure, Native Hawaiian law and cultural practices, and the Hawaiʻi Administrative Rules that govern and protect Hawaiʻi’s unique and limited natural, cultural, endemic and historic resources.
• $100,000 for the Maui Economic Opportunity, the Kāohi Program, Molokaʻi. The Kāohi program offers in- and out-of-school activities and will target 100 Molokaʻi youth ages 11 to 18 years old to reduce alcohol, tobacco and drug use.