Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 12, Number 8, 1 August 1995 — Hui ʻImi: a collective search... toward collective action [ARTICLE]

Hui ʻImi: a collective search... toward collective action

Editor's note: the following arti- < les are in response to a eolunm ahout the Hui 'lmi Pono Advisory Council written by Trustee Billie Beamer, and are presented in the interest offairness and as a puhlie information service to our beneficiaries.

Unele Tommy Kaulukukui, Sr., OHA Trustee emeritus, who established the Hui 'Imi Task Force says, "Community people gave us input in the process and helped the Hui 'Imi Task Force to assess, identify and pinpoint focus areas to coordinate aelion to improve quality and access to services. The Hui 'Imi Pono Advisory Council will eonlinue the implementation of these actions, with the spirit of collaboration that was originally intended. No single organization ean do it alone. I am pleased that Hui 'Imi Pono will continue the work. I do not understand why anyone would criticize this cooperative work, especially in this time of scarce resource. I say mahalo and encourage all to support this joint effort." The 1995 state Legislature passed SB1336 whieh says, "The purpose of this Act is to formally reauthorize the Hui 'lmi Task Force as a temporary part ofthe lieu-

tenant governor's office (for administrative purposes only). for the implementation phase ofits recommendations and to estahlish it as the Hui 'lmi Pono Advisory Council. The legislature intends that the function of the Hui 'Imi Pono Advisory Council shall he to advise various puhiie and private agencies on issues descrihed in the Hui 'Imi Task Force Report, Vol. I and Vol. II."

The iniiial Hui 'Imi Task Force (reauthorized as the Hui 'Imi Pono Advisory Council) are hoth legislatively created entities, not "self-appointed." Testimony in support of Hui 'Imi provided by Kā Lahui Hawai'i extended the title to Hui 'Imi Pono. In 1989, Senate Concurrent Resolution 106, SD1 of the 1989 Legislature, established the inkial Hui 'Imi Task Force to: • identify the services being provided to Hawaiians; • see if services were provided and how easy or difficult they were to get; • evaluate how providers were coordinating services; • identify future services and programs; and • recommend ways to improve access and coordination of current and future public

and private services available to Hawaiians ... in the areas of education, eeonomie development, housing, employment, legal, medical/health. cultural and social services. Thirty-nine recommended actions (including State participation) were identified. They included: • expanding early education services on all islands;

• developing multi-family housing options for homeless, single parent families, and elderly through DHHL, OHA and state partnerships and financing sources to enable Hawaiians to obtain mortgage financing at low cost through DHHL, OHA and state partnerships. • supporting culture centers as a plaee to gather and teach tradition. • supporting programs of entrepreneurship in high schools and a statewide network of adult entrepreneurship training and business assistance outlets for Hawaiians. • establishing reserve or appropriation funds to meet federal requirements for matching funds (in the area of medical/health services); • establishing single points of access to Hawaiian and non-Hawaiian sociaI services, information and referral; • establishing multi-service centers or well-

coordinated multi-service systems, accessible to the user for greater utilization of services; • establishing funding for legal services to Hawaiians with less than 50 percent blood quantum as well as for Hawaiians with 50 percent or more blood quantum; • improving access by offering several services in the same facility (service center) or within the same approximate area; ... plus 28 more recommendations.

In 1994 through OHA-sponsored eommunity meetings on its FY95-97 biennium budget, the community reaffirmed these priorities for completion. By action of the 1995 Legislature, Hui 'Imi Pono Advisory Council, composed of the member groups of the Task Force (including OHA), is reauthorized through statute to carry out implementation and completion of the 39 Hui 'Imi Task Force Report recommendations. The recommendations provide focus as voiced by the community. It is time to support collaborative action aimed at completing the recommendations ... not to detract from them. by the member organizations of Hui 'Imi Pono Advisory L'ouneil.