Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 39, Number 5, 1 May 2022 — Waiwai Economics: Solid Investments for Lifetimes of Change [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Waiwai Economics: Solid Investments for Lifetimes of Change

V E 'ONIPA'A KAKOU V ^ BE STEADFAST *

ByChris Molina "Mōhala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua; Unfolded by the water are the faces of the flowers."

Thriving kamali'i emerge from the aloha and mālama provided by their 'ohana and kaiāulu. Enriched nurturing experiences in early childhood are strongly related to positive outcomes across our lifespans. Positive experiences later in life ean help kamali'i overcome the challenges of a beginning wherein social, emotional, or cognitive stimulation were limited. However, it requires substantially more resources and time to regain ground than it does to provide a solid foundation. Severely limited finances often lead to a laek of resources to support child development and may also contribute to stress in relationships between mākua and their kamali'i. In 2019, one in five Native Hawaiian kamali'i between the ages of 0-5 were raised in 'ohana with incomes helow the poverty guideline for Hawai'i, and three in five were raised in homes without a livable ineome (a livable ineome only covers the basic needs of an 'ohana). According to the large body of research summarized by the Center on

Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonpartisan research and policy institute, lifting families out of poverty has lifelong benefits. These include improvements in maternal and infant heahh, academic performance, college enrollment, and increased work and earnings for current and future generations. Tax credits are among the tools our society uses to lift 'ohana out of poverty. The Earned Ineome Tax Credit (EITC) and the Child Tax Credit (CTC) are significant policy tools, in large part because they are refundable, whieh puts money back in the pockets of low-to-middle ineome working 'ohana. According to the Urban Institute, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research and educational organization, when the CTC was expanded during the pandemie, poverty for keiki in the Hawai'i was reduced by nearly half. The tax credits were essential lifelines for many 'ohana facing the eeonomie impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even 'ohana whose ineome does not require them to file a tax return may be able to take advantage of these credits. Lili'uokalani Trust (LT) is commited to breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty for Native Hawaiians. We are expanding our array of programs and services to support mākua and kamali'i during early childhood to help 'ohana establish foundations that positively impact their own wellbeing and that of future generations. For information about LT services and programs please visit our website at www.onipaa.org or contact our Mālama Line at (808) 466-7892. ■ Chris Molina is a strategic initiatives liaison at Lili'uokalani Trust,focusingon services to our neighbor island kaiāulu. He was raised in Maili, O'ahu, and has a degree in psychology with a social work minor from Pepperdine University and is in theprocess ofcompleting his Masters in Social Work at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa.