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Maui United Way urges council not to cut $12 million allocated for countywide ALICE initiative
Summary
Maui United Way CEO Jason Economou told the council the $12 million in the budget for an ALICE initiative would fund data collection and services for vulnerable working households and argued that cutting $2 million would be harmful.
Jason Economou, president and CEO of Maui United Way, told the Maui County Council the nonprofit is prepared to implement a countywide ALICE initiative if the council retains the full $12 million previously included in the budget.
"Don't cut money from this," Economou said, arguing that reducing the allocation by $2 million would remove one‑sixth of the program budget and would significantly weaken the initiative's ability to collect data and deliver services to vulnerable working households across the county.
Economou said the program would provide data collection and two years of coordinated services and that Maui United Way — which he said has served the community for 80 years — is committed to administering the initiative. He asked the council to preserve the full appropriation, saying the program supports families who otherwise risk relocation and displacement.
Why it matters: The ALICE initiative is proposed to track and support households that are asset‑limited, income‑constrained, employed (ALICE). Economou argued that preserving the full funding would allow meaningful longitudinal data and services that can inform recovery investments and reduce displacement.
Ending: Council members thanked Economou; no vote on the budget allocation was recorded in the public‑testimony segment.
