HCAP Weekly April 24, 2017

In this week’s issue:

Na Lima Hana Participant Finds Employment as Nurse Aide and Receives Tax Assistance
HCAP’s Income Tax Services Brings Back Over $1 Million to Our Communities!
2015-2016 Annual Report
Former SCSEP Participant Obtains Full-Time Employment
Leeward STEM Students Experiment with Salt Water Density
The American Red Cross Visits Windward Kupuna for Last Spring Session
HCAP is Hiring LIHEAP Intake Aides

Na Lima Hana Participant Finds Employment as Nurse Aide and Receives Tax Assistance

Xiaomi found out about the Na Lima Hana Employment Core Services (ECS) Program last year when she came to apply for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) at the Leahi District Service Center. She was unemployed at the time, and received a referral to enroll in Na Lima Hana. A month later, Xiaomi returned to the Leahi District Service Center to sign up for the ECS Program. Through the program, Xiaomi was able to receive pre-employment training, resume building, budgeting classes, and basic computer skills. After completing the employment preparation trainings, she quickly found employment at the Wilson Care Group Home as a Nurse Aide.

In addition, Xiaomi signed up for HCAP’s Income Tax Services program and qualified for the earned income credit, a refundable tax credit for low-to-moderate income working professionals. Xiaomi has come a long way from being unemployed to finding and maintaining employment. The Leahi District Service staff would like to congratulate Xiaomi on her achievements.

HCAP’s Income Tax Services Brings Back Over $1 Million to Our Communities!

District Service Center staff and volunteers have once again made the Income Tax Services/ Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Program a success! This year, there were 736 filers who participated in the program at one of the five District Service Centers or the HCAP Corporate Office. More than 52% of these filers received the Earned Income Credit, realizing more than $509K from that credit alone. Overall, the EITC Program brought back $1,372,053 to our local families and communities. A big mahalo to our partners, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Hawaii Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA), for all their patience and support this season. We also couldn’t have succeeded without the discipline and dedication of our staff and volunteers, who continue to make our clients feel welcomed during appointments and drop-ins.

2015-2016 Annual Report

We are pleased to present our annual report for the 2015-2016 Program Year. Each year, we provide program highlights and other information that showcases who we are and what we have accomplished during the course of the program year. In 2016, HCAP expanded the Kupuna Independent Life Series to three additional locations, and continued to provide a wide range of services to alleviate the conditions of poverty, assist in revitalizing low-income communities, and provide opportunities and inspiration to enable low-income individuals or families to achieve self-reliance.

View the 2015-2016 Annual Report here.
View past Annual Reports here.

Former SCSEP Participant Obtains Full-Time Employment

Devika enrolled in the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) in September 2015. Devika was in semi-retirement, following decades of full-time employment in the non-profit world. But a friend had nothing but kind words about SCSEP’s job referrals, and Devika decided to give SCSEP a try. In December 2015, Devika was placed as part-time receptionist at HCAP. But when a permanent position for HCAP Receptionist Clerk Typist opened up in early April 2017, Devika was interested and applied shortly thereafter. Devika received and accepted a job offer from HCAP, and on April 17, officially exited the SCSEP program and became a full-time HCAP employee.

Leeward STEM Students Experiment with Salt Water Density

This week, the students at the Hā Initiative: Creative STEM After-School Program’s Leeward STEM Exploration Center experimented with eggs and water solution. Each student had eggs and a cup of water. The cup initially contained fresh water. Before the students dropped their egg in fresh water, they made predictions about whether an egg would float or sink. Then, they proceeded with the actual experiment to see if their predictions came true. The students learned that when you put an egg in fresh water, it sinks. After recording their observations, the students added salt. The class quickly realized that when you add salt to the existing fresh water, then the egg in the cup will start to float. The students had a lot of fun sinking or floating eggs by changing the salt water solution.

The American Red Cross Visits Windward Kupuna for Last Spring Session

The American Red Cross visited the Kupuna Independent Life Series at the Kahuku Elderly Hau’oli Hale to educate the Windward Kupuna about the services available to seniors. The American Red Cross representative gave tips and advice on what to do in case of an emergency or natural disaster. They also covered what relief benefits they offer to those affected by natural disasters. The American Red Cross representatives also stressed the importance of preventing human-related disasters, providing common sense advice such as like not leaving teapots on the stove while sleeping to avoid the possibility of house fires.

HCAP is Hiring LIHEAP Intake Aides

HCAP is currently accepting applications for Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) Intake Aides. LIHEAP Intake Aides are responsible for screening and interviewing applicants for program eligibility. This is a temporary position from May to July 2017. Multiple openings are available for this position.

To download the job description click here.

To apply for a LIHEAP Intake Aide position click here.