MAYOR ANNOUNCES FIFTH YEAR OF COMMUNITY BENEFITS FUNDING

(Thurs., Feb. 18, 2010)—Mayor Mufi Hannemann today announced that applications are now available for the newest round of funding in the City’s Leeward Coast Community Benefits program, which helps offset the impact of the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill on surrounding communities.

Community-based private non-profit organizations are invited to submit proposals that address the needs or concerns of the following Leeward Coast communities: Makakilo, Kalaeloa, Kapolei, Honokai Hale/Nanakai Gardens, Ko Olina, Nanakuli, Maili, Waianae, Makaha and Keaau.

“I am very pleased to continue this program for our communities and citizens on the Leeward Coast,” said Hannemann, who initiated the community benefits program in 2006. “During these past four years, more than 80 projects were funded and we hope to fund another 25 to 30 projects in Fiscal Year 2010-2011.”

Service providers have estimated that approximately 2,000 families and 8,000 individuals have been assisted by projects funded through the Leeward Coast Community Benefits program so far. These projects included the provision of housing, food, mental health and other essential services to some of the neediest citizens on the Leeward Coast, including children, single parents, families experiencing homelessness, victims of domestic violence, at-risk youth, recovering substance abusers, and displaced veterans, among others. 

Two current grantees, Makana O Ke Akua, Inc. and Hawaii Speed and Quickness, are encouraging other community-based organizations to apply for funds through the program, noting how it has furthered the missions of their respective programs.

“Funds received from the Leeward Coast Community Benefits Program help to provide needed services, including education, job training and counseling for individuals transitioning from substance abuse issues back to their communities and their families,” said John Dudoit, President of Makana O Ke Akua, Inc.

“The grant received from the Leeward Coast Community Benefits Program has allowed Hawaii Speed and Quickness to assist over a thousand youth on the Leeward Coast with mentoring services, substance abuse education and fitness training.  The response from the community has been tremendous,” said Rich Miano, President of Hawaii Speed and Quickness.

Applications will be available at the Community Assistance Division – Department of Community Services, 2^nd Floor, Kapolei Hale, 1000 Uluohia Street, #204, and the Oahu Work Links Program at the Waianae Community Center, 85-670 Farrington Highway, Room #6 beginning on February 16, 2010.  Applications are also available on-line through the City’s website at http://www.honolulu.gov/dcs/specialprojects/ . The deadline for application submission is 4:00PM, April 5, 2010, at either of the sites listed above.

Further information on the 2010-2011 Leeward Coast Community Benefits program is available through the City’s Department of Community Services at 592-2293.

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Contact: Jimmy Lota, project officer, Honolulu Department of Community Services, 592-2293