MAUI (Island News) — Federal cuts hit home this week at the Maui Humane Society.
With short notice, funding was lost that employed Lahaina wildfire survivors through the National Dislocated Workers Grant program.
It reportedly provided support of essential daily care and safety for animals and team members.
Lisa Labrecque, CEO of the Maui Humane Society told Island News, “As of the day the program was terminated, which was Thursday, we had three full-time employees – now that may not sound like very much, but as a small non profit, every single team member is essential for us to be able to provide the care that our animals need.”
Cuts are expected to impact displaced Lahaina ohana and the animals who rely on them.
“As a non profit, I can tell you we rely on funding from the county, the state, and in this case the federal government, to help us staff our organization, as well as the programs that we execute”, added Labreque.
Rep. Jill Tokuda, (D) Hawaii, U.S. House of Representatives (Maui, Oahu, Kaua’i) stated, “This is all part of the dislocated worker program, so every single one of them was impacted by the Maui fires, so already, they’ve experienced trauma and having to now lose their job, is a re-traumatization for these individuals.”
What can Hawaii do on a statewide level and what will it take to generate change?
“We’ve got to push back and fight back, and see how we can get these funds and positions reinstated. We’ve actually seen quite a few of them across the country where they’ve been let go and fired, but they’ve been seeking to rehire them – you just saw with the nuclear scientists being let go, and then immediately realizing the huge mistake that was made and seeking to rehire them”, said Rep. Tokuda.
“I think for us, what we’ve got to do when we hit Washington D.C. back on Monday, we’ve got to put in these requests as to why and how can you be looking at firing, our victims – this is an inhumane situation that the Maui Humane society now finds itself in”, added Tokuda.
Anna Neubauer, President and CEO for the Hawaiian Humane Society recently issued a statement:
“The Hawaiian Humane Society operates independently from Maui Humane Society, but we are appalled to learn that these federal funding cuts are further traumatizing Lahaina wildfire survivors who are doing important, lifesaving work at Maui Humane.
Our organization is deeply concerned about the potentially catastrophic effects of the federal firings and funding cuts on our community. These actions could curtail programs supporting affordable housing and social services – areas that are already challenging in Hawaiʻi. We anticipate that these cuts could increase demand for our community support services, including our Pet Food Bank, wellness clinics, affordable spay/neuter programs; and may also increase housing instability across the state as families face difficult financial decisions.
We encourage our community to support the Maui Humane Society and to contact their U.S. representatives and senators about the impact of these funding cuts on Hawaiʻi’s families and pets.”
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