Economic Inequality

Major Landlord Accused Of Discriminating Against Section 8 Renters In Hawaiʻi Jeremy Hay/Civil Beat/2026

Major Landlord Accused Of Discriminating Against Section 8 Renters In Hawaiʻi

Testers sent by a nonprofit were told by agents for Greystar, the largest owner of apartment complexes in the United States, that their vouchers would not work.

Federal Government Abruptly Cut These Hawaiʻi Markets From Food Stamps Program (Screenshot/2023)

Federal Government Abruptly Cut These Hawaiʻi Markets From Food Stamps Program

USDA moves leave customers who use SNAP with less access to food, and mean that stores can’t buy as much product from the local farmers who supply them.

Nonprofits Face New Political Realities, Threats To Homeless Housing Programs Leilani Combs/Civil Beat/2026

Nonprofits Face New Political Realities, Threats To Homeless Housing Programs

Programs the federal government has long supported to combat homelessness have fallen out favor.

In Puna, It Takes Years To Get A Mail Box At The Post Office Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

In Puna, It Takes Years To Get A Mail Box At The Post Office

In the fastest growing part of Hawai‘i, a post office box shortage has made voting, shopping online, accessing important paperwork and sending packages an ongoing challenge.

Honolulu Homeless Services Program Too Disorganized To Assess, Auditor Says Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2024

Honolulu Homeless Services Program Too Disorganized To Assess, Auditor Says

The CORE program was started in 2021 and has changed its focus repeatedly since then, confounding efforts to gauge its effectiveness.

Transportation Barriers Block The Route To Opportunities For Many On Oʻahu, Study Finds Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2023

Transportation Barriers Block The Route To Opportunities For Many On Oʻahu, Study Finds

On the same day a study was released calling for more accessible public transportation, fares for TheBus were hiked.

Charity Program for Housing Homeless People Broke Promises, Landlord Says Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Charity Program for Housing Homeless People Broke Promises, Landlord Says

Small landlord now has doubts about renting to tenants from housing assistance programs; tenant says his story is off base.

Kauaʻi’s Richest Towns Scored Tax Breaks Meant For Poor Areas — Until Now Kevin Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

Kauaʻi’s Richest Towns Scored Tax Breaks Meant For Poor Areas — Until Now

Opportunity Zone projects are intended to benefit economically distressed communities but are often found in the wealthiest parts of the island.

Empty Shelves: Young Brothers Misses 3 Shipments To Molokaʻi In 21 Days Courtesy: Friendly Market Center

Empty Shelves: Young Brothers Misses 3 Shipments To Molokaʻi In 21 Days

The shipping monopoly has missed its past two shipments to the Friendly Isle, plus another last month, leaving residents frustrated by empty store shelves and costly alternatives.

‘It’s Just Tiring’: 24 Hours Inside Hawai‘i’s Homeless Crisis Craig Fujii/Civil Beat/2026

‘It’s Just Tiring’: 24 Hours Inside Hawai‘i’s Homeless Crisis

More than a dozen Civil Beat reporters and photographers set out to chronicle the reality of homelessness on Oʻahu on Jan. 26, the day of the homeless census. Here’s what they saw.