• Income Supports: income support programs include those we commonly refer to as welfare and include Food Stamps, TANF, Quest and others that augment the income of our most needy by providing for some/all of their basic human needs. AUW believes these programs need to be delivered in a way that motivates recipients to move toward self-sufficiency.
• Asset Building: asset building programs assist those that are progressing toward self-sufficiency by providing a comprehensive set of supports that help people maximize their earnings and save some of those earnings to build the assets necessary to become self-sufficient.

• 32% of Hawaii’s people are living at or below 200% of federal poverty level.
• As the cost of living continues to rise, Hawaii’s working families are increasingly unable to afford basic necessities.
• To assess our overall performance in achieving self-sufficiency for all in our community, AUW tracks the following indicators (2005 Quality of Life in Hawaii Report):
• 44% of children receiving free or reduced-cost lunch
• 961 homeless people per 100,000 population
• 3% of children and 8% of adults are medically uninsured

Aloha United Way believes offering financial resources, job training and education is the key to helping working people avoid homelessness and permanently improve their economic stability.

• AUW is helping to address this Issue with two strategies:
• AUW Family Self Sufficiency Program: this program is focused on increasing the number of residents that claim the federal Earned Income Tax Credit. Additional asset building services are provided as appropriate for the recipients of EITC.
• Ho`owaiwai: AUW is a member of the asset building coalition that has created the Ho`owaiwai Asset Building Policy for Hawaii. AUW is currently advocating for a state EITC, funding for Individual Development Accounts, restrictions on payday lenders and the establishment of a self-sufficiency standard for Hawaii.

Last year your donation helped:

• AUW assist 660 eligible recipients and increase Earned Income Tax Credit filings by 232%
• 273 individuals receive training to start a small business to provide for themselves
• 2,013 people obtain employment after receiving job skills training

Lehua in Kailua
Up until a few years ago, our family of five was living in public housing and scraping by on $800 a month. I couldn’t imagine how to get out of debt or move my kids to a better neighborhood. Without hope of a brighter day, it’s easy to give up. An AUW partner agency taught me about the EITC and how to invest my tax return for the future. Eventually I paid off my debt, improved my credit, and after a few years, had saved enough to buy my first home. Today, I counsel other families on financial programs like the EITC to improve their self-sufficiency. I’ll never forget how having the resources, and a little bit of hope, changed my life.