Lahaina Update: Reported Suicides Homelessness Community Action

➡ Three years after a devastating fire in Lahaina, the community is struggling to rebuild. Despite promises of recovery, no businesses have reopened and residents are being encouraged to sell their properties. A group called the Lahaina Kupuna Council is making decisions without community input, focusing on cultural preservation rather than immediate needs. Meanwhile, residents are falling victim to fraudulent contractors, and their complaints are being ignored.
➡ The text discusses the frustration with the slow process of obtaining permits in Hawaii, particularly for low-income housing projects. The author criticizes the Hawaii Department of Hawaiian Homelands for their inefficiency and lack of transparency, noting that many people have been waiting for years for their permits. The author also questions why there is only one person handling all the permits for the entire state. Lastly, the author expresses concern about the high cost of housing and the poor quality of the homes being built, suggesting that the system is designed to benefit the builders rather than the residents.
➡ The text discusses the struggles faced by fire survivors living in camps, including mental health issues and suicides. It criticizes the lack of support from authorities and the unfairness of rebuilding permits. The speaker also mentions fraudulent contractors taking advantage of people’s insurance money and life savings. The text ends with a call for housing stability and accountability for the misuse of funds meant for rebuilding and infrastructure.
➡ The speaker is questioning the misuse of funds by the State Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions (SOHS), which is under audit. They express concern over the lack of transparency and accountability, especially regarding the allocation of funds for homelessness and housing solutions. The speaker also mentions a case where a large number of Section 8 housing vouchers were not used, leading to a loss of almost a billion dollars. They urge the public to be vigilant and demand transparency from the government.
➡ The speaker is concerned about potential misuse of federal funds, particularly in relation to housing and homelessness services. They believe that the Department of Human Services and its director, Joe Campos, should be scrutinized, especially after the previous director stepped down due to allegations of misusing COVID funds. The speaker also mentions concerns about the spending of disaster funds and suggests that collective action and unity are needed to address these issues. They end with a prayer for truth, justice, and the welfare of all people.

Aloha, everyone. Michelle Melendez here at Blossom Inner Wellness and standtogetherhavai.com and I’m here again with State Representative Ellie Cochran and this amazing woman. She grew up in Lahaina. She was born in Lahaina. She survived the Lahaina fire. And we are coming up on the third year of this fire and I just wanted to do an update with her and get the lowdown of what’s happening over there. Ellie, thank you so much for joining me. Thanks for having me. Always. It’s always a blast to be with you and be heard. So there’s, let’s just talk about what’s, what’s happening.

What has been this, this last three years been like and what’s going on now? Because I actually went to the red pill and so many people keep asking me what’s happening in Lahaina. So I just. What’s the lowdown? Well, I mean, unfortunately, there’s not a whole lot to talk about as in the rebuilding of, you know, structures per se. But yeah, a ton of stuff behind closed doors, you know, meetings, whatever’s going on behind people’s backs, under our noses have been going on because all of a sudden you hear about some grand plan and you know, in like in Lahaina.

So it’s this kind of like a marketplace thing. The where outlet, Maui, outlet malls were located down on the corner where Hard Rock Cafe was and places like that. If people can recall this whole entire like shopping mall area. Now the county says this is the start of bringing back our businesses, you know, so it’s like, I don’t know, popup tents, booths or something that businesses can come and now reopen their businesses. It’s like that’s not get, you know, the businesses were the, were actual businesses on, in Lahaina, on Front street, you know, throughout the town where you’re going to just like, oh, here, rent this little cubicle spot and open up your business.

That’s not the idea here. So it’s a weird. But this has been somehow in the planning, obviously. And it just came on the news, it’s been in the paper. And like, who decided this? Who was talked to in the general community, in particular, the business people. So it’s, that’s like kind of the latest ridiculous idea that they’re doing, you know, and Kaiser Permanente bought a whole huge swath of land which. When did that come about all of a sudden? That’s in the, I mean, we need a clinic back for sure. I mean, I’d like To see the west, my hospital that’s been on the docket to be built for over 20 years, you know, and, but anyways, I guess generally with the, with Lahaina, nothing’s come back.

No businesses, not one, not one business. And I, the people on the ocean side are basically are told to sell their properties, you know, and they don’t want to. I know quite a few that don’t want to. And, and even if maybe lease it, but still, no, they want their businesses back, they want their livelihoods, their lives back. And I just continue to say, continue to feel like people are treated like this was their fault, like they did this on purpose to themselves or something. And the county’s just not working with, you know, and I know.

So you recall this bill back a few years back, Was it a couple sessions back the lele. It was like this lele Aloha or that bill that was going to create. It’s like a set of people who are going to be the decision makers for Lahaina and they’re all cultural people and the governor could appoint this and that and it was going to be a set group of people to control the decision making of the rebuild of Lahaina. It was like S.B. remember that one, wasn’t it? The one where they were going to take the entire west coast of Maui to rebuild Lahaina out of the governing board.

You guys, they wanted to take that. They wanted to the entire west coast of Maui and Lahaina is one dot. And they wanted to take the entire west coast of Maui out of the Maui governing board and give it to like a nine person governing board that the governor elected and it didn’t pass. But tell us more. But they’re actually rolling it out. That what that concept in that bill that died miserably. Thank God they’re actually doing it right now. It’s happening. So this governing board of select voices and people who have the ear of the mayor, the governor and who else? Jill Takuda.

They’re called the Lahaina Kupuna Council. And you know, when I first heard about, I knew Lahaina is a small town. I know everybody. I know what people are doing. So I heard about it and I called one of the guys and I’m like, hey, you know, what’s this Kupuna Council? I go, I’m Kupuna. In fact, I’m older than most of you on this board, whatever you’re calling yourselves. And he’s like, oh, I have to ask. I go, I want to attend a Meeting, you know, I want to be a part of this and. Oh, I gotta ask.

He never got back to me. Three years. Here’s three years now. Never got back to me. So they have been making these decisions on their own and like this whole thing that Bill wanted to do, it’s happening now. It’s all about the. The royal complex, the Moku island, you know, the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom. Rest, reverence and restore it. It’s like what we’re. That’s great, fine and dandy that we want to perpetuate and protect our culture, obviously in the history of Lahaina. But there’s people in today’s world, real time, who need their lives back, who need, you know, what we.

You can’t just put everything on hold and focus just on that and in the. And the way they’re hyping it up. How important and sacred and whatever it is. I. You know, why Ola Church and where I caretake and our. You’ve been there. I’m there every day. And all the people that were interred on this island are now at the graveyard that you’ve been at. And. And I caretake and so treating this area with reverence. So right next door behind the fence line is the area and nothing. It is. It is a disgrace actually. So to have them run around and say, and this is the county.

The county. Oev Department Hawaiiana. I don’t know. Whatever it is. And that’s how they’re talking about this place. But in right now, they don’t even put one ounce of energy to it. So why are you in the headline news claiming you love and protect and this and that when you’re literally physically not even putting where your money, where your mouth is, you know, and. And that’s just what’s happening. So it’s like propaganda everywhere, I feel. Just the messaging out there is a bunch of hot air and no. There’s no substance. There’s no real. It’s not a real plan.

It’s not a real plan. But they’re making it sound like, you know, and, and so technically none of this is a done deal. It’s like the MOU with the county and the whole. The whole water thing, you know, with Maui Lana Pine, like that’s. But they’re, you know, when people say something that’s not true or, or you know, in long enough, you know, enough times, eventually people think like it is, you know, like that’s the truth and that it is happening and that this is what’s been happening. No it’s not happening. It’s, it’s talked about. It’s, it’s just talking.

And I think people need to get outside of that mentality that when they see something in print or social media, you know, coming from the government saying this, this and that, they need to really take a look at it and, and like follow like research what it’s actually saying or presenting. Because when you look closely at it and behind the, you know, the words on paper, you’re going to see that it’s just them making it up and acting, saying like it’s a done deal and this is what’s going to happen. That’s not true. It’s totally not true.

And I mean, this goes on and on with just the, the challenges right now. What’s really surfacing are the people who lost everything, right? Everything burned down to nothing. And so three years later here, right, People have been pretty desperate and wanting to get a home built, wanting to get their lives back. So as we know, we were afraid of vultures and people taking advantage of people. Well, it’s happening, it’s happened. Numerous, numerous, countless people have. And it’s unfortunate that it were. It’s local people taking advantage of our local people. So, you know, you have companies that are unlicensed, taking people’s money.

You have people who are, yeah, just not qualified and, but everyone is at wit’s end and they’re just taking anybody to help and given money. So a lot of people today were, are victims of fraudulent contractors. I have, I have told DCCA and it just falls on deaf ears. I have reported things and then when my office, my literal office follows up, the answer is we don’t see any complaint reports about that. We have to get back to you. We’re like, wait, what? I mean, my office spoke to the director for that department, actually, Esther Brown, whatever.

And it’s like. And you don’t see, see anything on record. How is this possible? So then I’m talking to people in the community and they get the same exact answer. We don’t see your complaint on file. And we’ll get back to you. Do they get back to us? No. This is just endless. This is what’s happening on all levels. And yet there are things happening behind the scenes. So while I’m on this interview with you, there’s a HPHA meeting right now on zoom. Hawaii. Hawaii. It’s the Hawaii Housing Hawaii. What is it called? Hawaii Paroling. Not paroling.

Housing. And they do all like the low income, you know, housing and Stuff. And here in Lahaina, they do. They’re supposed to rebuild Peani Housing, David Mallow Circle. And they have money. They have tons of money. And I’m like, why? What’s the hold up here? State government. Oh, permitting. Why? Yeah, county and go. And state. Why are you guys waiting for each other? And in. And of all things, why is the government waiting on permits? We are the people who give the permits. What? I know. That’s right. And. And it’s just so frustrating. That’s my bottom line.

So, I mean, I have to get to the. And every issue with Department of Hawaiian Homelands. Let’s just jump real quickly there. People have been waiting on permits from this county for five years. People have been waiting for permits, and in the meantime, their permit expires. They got to re. Reapply for a permit because it’s taken so long. Their mortgages have expired. They got to redo. It’s like, wait, what is going on? So I call and meet the one guy for Department of Hawaiian Homelands permitting, Timothy Hu. I’m like, wait, you’re the one guy for the entire state to take care of all of DHHL permitting? He says, yes.

I’m like, what? Yeah, one guy for all. I’m like, that’s unacceptable. I go, what is going on here? This can’t be. And he only got hired three years ago. What? Department of Hawaiian Homelands has been going on since 1921. And, you know, and it’s. I. It’s not even a laughing matter, but it’s just so frustrating. So that’s about that. It’s the permitting issues that are, like, ridiculous. But I know it’s orchestrated by design. They’re just holding one. One. Your whole land grab thing, it’s happening, right? It’s. It’s just. This is what they’ve been doing is make putting people on hold, put your whole life on hold for three years.

Just put it on hold, you know, with no light at the end of the tunnel of when perhaps you may get a permit or your business back or whatever. And who’s. Who can do that? Who can just put their lives on hold three years and wait and wait and wait. No one. So their. Their options are to move away, move somewhere else, whatever, whatever, sell, you know, all those things. Because they just can’t sit and wait. And that is happening. Yeah. And we’ve said it from day one. That. And it’s. And it’s orchestrated. This. This should not be happening.

This doesn’t need to be happening, but it is. The Hawaii homeland. Because some people have been waiting even longer. Like they. Oh yeah, no, I mean as we know, people have died on the waiting list, right? Yeah, people have died. I mean there’s people who waited and they’re dead and it’s unfortunate. And when they die, if their aren’t like a certain percentage of Hawaiian blood, then they get booted off. Isn’t that correct? Yes, yes. And so this is why, this is why I feel, I feel honestly what I think is, I think that the Hawaiians need to sue the Hawaii homelands for this, this BS because this is like, I mean let’s move it along people.

And how hard is it to give this land back? You know, that’s, that’s what I think and I, and I want to, I want, I would help with any way I could. So here’s the thing. We got. So the director, Collie Watson, who was a director 20 something years ago, he’s back again now. It starts with him at the top, right? I mean he’s making the decisions on behalf, whatever. But the bottom Line is Department of Hawaiian Homelands has the land. 220,000 plus acres all across the state. The, the mandate is they, the government has to give them water wherever they’re.

They want to build and stuff, give them water. So not necessarily do dissolve this acreage, have infrastructure so that, you know. But the bottom line is this department Hawaiian Homelands has a ton of money ton. And the federal government gives them nahasda funds comes. I mean they have all the resources and there’s no excuse for, for not housing every single Hawaiian person. The blood quantum should just be disregarded mean period. Even if the federal mandate, I think we as a state should just accept anybody whose birth certificate, whatever says you’re Hawaiian, doesn’t matter how much you have.

And so, you know, and so right now, so Kie Watson has chosen to have Everett Dowling be the one and only contract developer, builder, whatever to build all the housing for Department of Hawaiian Homelands. He gets all the contracts. I’m like, why is that? Right, right. So that’s a monopoly. That’s like W. And then, and then the housing that’s like why should the Hawaiians have to get loans for starters? I mean this is their land. And all this money comes, everything should be paid for. The, the, the intent at the end of the day is to house are Hawaiian people on their Hawaiian lands.

And so that the latest housing for DHHL on Maui in waikapu starts at $699,000 per home. And they built what, four, five, six, like humongous homes. So a kupuna, you know, say a widower, a single person doesn’t need a six bedroom house. I mean, and that’s totally unaffordable. And it, it shouldn’t be priced this way for our Hawaiian people to begin with. And what I’ve been told is it did go up really quickly, that the quality is, is horrible. And so with that kind of money, that kind of pricing, you would think it’d be really nice, good quality homes.

And supposedly it’s not. I haven’t been in one, but it’s just. No, they’re getting, everyone’s getting ripped off every which way. But the builders are walking away, you know, rich as ever. And that same developer. I have a issue, I think, I don’t know if I talked to you about it, but this is with Department of Education housing for teachers up above, just below lahaina. Luna Dowling Co. Built those. He was given $20 million and the places are done. I went to the Blessing. Two residents rose at the Blessing. Till today, the place sits empty. There’s something like 89, 84 units there.

So what’s going on? Darling walked away at $20 million. There are structures there just right up the road for me. And yet it sits empty. And yet we have people homeless and we have people needing a house in Lahaina. What is going on? I sent a letter going, so I know this is built for teachers, but if there’s no teachers who need the units, can we use it for people other than teachers? Then how’s someone in these things? You know, it’s not, I don’t know, but it’s almost like he got his money, he walked away. He doesn’t care if anybody lives in them.

That was his job, just to build them. So they’re there empty. Who’s responsible for putting people in? Who’s responsible for allowing people to live? Department of Education and this guy Paul. What’s the guy’s name? I don’t know. Some, I don’t. You know, they have a property manager or somebody like that. I’m not sure how it works, but. But yeah, there’s a follow up there I have to look into because this is. I have a guy who, whose family lives below. And it’s a whole other issue. The runoff falls right onto their property anyways. And he drives by, he goes, it’s still empty.

No cars are there ever. There’s nobody living there. I’m like, oh my God. Just, you know, there’s Just issues. But it’s like, you got that built in a second. What about the rest of Lahaina? You know, like, come on, County. Where’s our west. My senior center. Where’s all these? First off, the government properties, but other than that. So the rebuilding of the harbor. Okay, yeah, nice boats. Because that was 99 businesses, something like that. They had individually, right? They. They employed a bunch of our people. And it was also with, you know, help with the visitor industry and what have you.

So part, part of it is open and they’re rebuilding the harbor master’s, you know, office right there out on the. On the point. But yet people next door to you along the shoreline, you’re telling them they can’t rebuild. So, you know, you’re putting in fingerprint into the water and it’s like, wait, how can you be able to do this? But then you’re telling your neighbors just along the coastline, they can’t do anything, you know, rebuilding back what they had along the ocean. So it’s just been, again, you know, it’s just kind of who, you know, gets, gets permits.

It’s like, it’s just not equal. It’s not fair. And whole big plan, obviously, which none of us know about. So. I agree, I. 100%. But how are the fire survivors doing in the camps? I know there were like four deaths. Then there was a fire, like, not good. There’s been at least that. So one guy just blew his brains out last week, shot him, killed himself. Yeah, I mean, it’s happening. No, I had a. A friend, so this is third party. But the person who told me this story, it was said during Thanksgiving, last Thanksgiving, at a dinner, you know, dinner.

And there were other people at the table who heard it too. So it’s not just this one person who told me. And so this gentleman, his job is to go in units. So you know FEMA and do housing rental assistance programs, right? So they get you a place, you live in the unit when the time is up or whatever. This guy’s job is to go in and make sure that you’re moved out. He will help you move out. So he has literally helped pack things, you know, and take and go. Okay, where are you moving to? I’ll take your stuff there.

He says, I have literally had to drive people to Walmart, grab a tent and just drop them off at the beach, like they have nowhere to go. And he’s like, it just breaks his heart. But he, you know, and so, but here’s. He has been to three different units Same process walked in and the person’s hanging, hanging, killed himself dead, three incidents. And so, you know, he’s telling this at the Thanksgiving table and the one girl goes, could we just change the subject, Start, please, please. You know, this is so upsetting. So my friend tells me the story and I’m like, oh my God.

And I tell the county, you know, the FEMA people, and then I get a response back that I’m lying and I’m making this, this up like I don’t know what I’m talking about. And so that’s the easy. The person who told me said, tell, give them my number, tell them all, tell them I’ll explain everything to them. My friend, the person who divulged this obviously has a job. He doesn’t want to be retaliated against or whatever. But. And, and no one got back to my friend who told the story. No one got back to him. And yeah, and then my office followed up and they’re saying things like, well, Ellie spoke to so.

And so Dino. I, I don’t even know Dino. And that guy is a liar and this and that. I go, that’s not who I got the information from. You all have the contact and you haven’t called him back to get more information through him. So you know, what, what’s going on? So that just. That’s where that ended. But yes, and that’s way to do. And people are, are literally killing themselves here. And I’m telling I. How much worse can it get? And so, yes, people not only, you know, lost everything because of the fire, but now people have lost their insurance money, people have lost their life savings trying to rebuild their lives by the fraudulent contractors who no one’s going after.

You know, I mean, the list just goes on and on. So the, the mental status and the well being of our community is not good. Far from good. It gets worse every day. The longer and longer all of this prolongs and compiles upon each other of the issues. It just keeps getting worse when you’re gonna just ignore it and think everything’s gonna go away. That’s not how it works here, you know? Yeah, so it’s just. I don’t know how to say. I mean, people go, oh, well, that was three years ago. Like, like it’s all so long ago.

It’s over. Isn’t it all fixed? No, it’s not fixed. What are you guys talking about? Not even that out of mind. Yeah, no, it’s, it’s like. And so that’s why it is an election season. And this, I have to say, this mayor cannot be because look at the predicament we all are in, you know, it just, it just cannot. And it’s because it’s, I mean, didn’t, didn’t raise the alarms, didn’t blow the sirens that day. I mean, go back in time people, and recall what happened and where was he. It took forever to him to divulge where he was literally at the time when it happened, you know, at some doctor’s appointment or something.

I mean, what. Okay, what. And it’s just. Yeah, nepotism. It’s horrible. It’s a horrible, horrible situation. I think at the end of the day, what is the root of so much of this that could be solved and, and taken care of and would turn the whole tide of, you know, everything is the housing stability issue, the instability of having a home, a solid rock foundation home where you’ve now replanted your roots, you know, and your livelihood, your job, you know, and all that and just get your family back together in your lives, you know, as best as it once was and better even, you know, and stuff is where it needs what needs to happen.

And it’s not. And that’s my frustration. You know, like 6 and $700,000 is not affordable. And with, no, with. And everyone’s taking advantage from the, from your, from your developers to, you know, the, the materials and buildings, people, they’re, they’ve priced everything out of reach. It’s, it shouldn’t, it doesn’t need to be. And it’s just really, really. It’s just sad, you know, and I think people need to, it’s, it’s. There’s power in the people and. That’s right, that’s right. Jumping. No, for real. And jumping back to the Lahaina bypass issue which has been going on for so long.

But there, everyone. So there was two connector roads on the map that they wanted to discuss. And one of the roads has always been, no. Pukuli Road is never to be the connector road for this bypass. Well, it happens to be on the map. And everyone’s like up in this uproar. The state. I’m sure everybody got non stop emails going, no, you can’t do it. This isn’t it. There was a litigation, there’s a settlement. This was never supposed to be the connector. Blah, blah, blah. By the time the meeting happened, the first thing out of Ed sniffin director’s mouth was how many of you here are because of the Pukali Road.

And everyone Raised their hands. He goes, it’s not going to go down that road. So we don’t need to talk about it. That. Yeah. So everyone was like, yay. You know, that’s what I mean. Power in the people. You can change the tide, you can move mountains. That’s right, people. But you got to be, you have to have a unified voice. You have to unif. That’s right. And you have to. And that unified voice, same message, same voice, same, same. Everything has to go to the right person. Is it the president? Is it the governor, Is it the mayor? Is it a director of a department? Wherever whatever that issue is, that unified voice collectively will be heard.

So they have no choice. It will be for this, for, for to support the Lahaina fire survivors. Because I have a, I have a big list. Stand together, hawaii.com. you know, we’ve been doing some good work. So who would we contact to support the locals there? Because, because the number one thing that you just, you said earlier was, you know, they discredit you. Like they say that you’re, you’re crazy and you don’t know what you’re talking about. That’s exactly how they, they can just disregard what you’re saying is by easily say, oh, conspiracy theorists. Now I don’t have to look at anything that you’re saying because I just labeled you.

That’s exactly what is going on. Yeah, yeah. Well, I mean, there’s so many different issues going on. Right. But as I said, the housing instability is a root core issue and Personally it’s unacceptable. 1. This county just balanced a 1.6 or something billion dollar budget. We don’t even have 160,000 people living here. Divide that kind of money, I mean, why do we have homeless? Why isn’t any of the county. Let’s just focus on county lands and projects completed. What’s going on? I mean, you know, they’re still trying to dig up roads for, for drainage and water and stuff.

Like why wasn’t that done? The federal government put in 4 billion, over $4 billion into Lina. What happened? Where’s that money? That’s right. Because this is what we have to show for after over $4 billion of federal money. So I’m telling you to follow the money people and research. Where is it? Where did it go? Because I, it, I believe it can’t be accounted for because physically, literally looking at the landscape here, it’s not accounted for here in an actual building and the infrastructure is not. They haven’t done a whole lot to upgrade Much. They just restored stuff which was already in the ground and done by the county, you know, 100 years ago.

So where is it all? And is it because you were paying truck drivers over 90 bucks an hour to drive a truck? Is it because the people who remove trees were getting paid, I don’t know, astronomical amount of money? You were charging $6,000 to remove a burnt car. Is that how the money got spent down? I mean. No, really. And I think that needs to be brought out. We, the people, we should be our own investigative people, because no one’s going to cough up the answers. They’re trying to hide it and stifle it and brush it under the rug and ignore it all.

I can’t do it by myself. But I know, like, just moving into the temporary housing, that Colletiola project I mentioned, that project, I mean, is still, It’s. It’s still like, what happened over almost 200. No, probably over $200 million has been given to an unlicensed contractor. I tell the state, and they just have ignored me off the face of the earth. And the department that was in charge of it, State Office of Homelessness and Housing Solutions, sohs, has been audit. Is under an audit since last year, January. And it was supposed to be completed by this January.

The report given to us, the state legislature, until today, it still hasn’t come. And while we were in session, that department, SOHS, asked for $41 million. And I, the whole time was against it and trying to let my colleagues know. Remember, people, this is the entity under audit, which we still haven’t received the final audit report. And I am not entertaining a single penny going to this department until I see a clean audit. Not just an audit, but I want a clean audit. I want to make sure that what they’ve spent thus far was up and up legal right, and bought whatever.

And the, and the auditor knew he couldn’t complete it by the end of recession and the voting of the budget. But halfway through, he put out an email to the entire legislature saying, saying my preliminary findings so far are showing mismanagement of funds. And yet the Legislature still approve $41 million for this entity. And I’m just like scratching my head go, what? What? Yeah. No, this is the kind of crap that happens. And everyone’s like, I mean, it’s just. No, it’s wrong. It’s totally wrong. And everyone’s complicit and. And it starts at the governor and it works its way down.

So the, so the director who just abruptly stepped down From Department of Human Services, DHS Ryan Yamani, who was a state rep then he became the director and that. And they are the ones who created this SOHS department, like the sidebar division, which is supposed to take care of all the homelessness housing solutions. And I feel like it’s this, this arm of government that was created by this governor, you know, Director Yamani, who just, who, who got a target letter for an investigation and he just quit the very next day. Yeah. And so like all this money coming in for housing and how homelessness.

There’s so much money funneling through like probably in the billions by now. And it’s like, but what’s there to show for why, why do we still have homeless then? I mean, yeah, it needs to be tallied up. The amount of money been dispersed and God knows where it went. Definitely hasn’t come to the people. I think at the bottom line it hasn’t come to the community it’s supposed to serve. That’s. That’s the biggest question. Where is it and how come it didn’t come to the community that it’s supposed to serve? So if people have a, a voice there and who would we contact, what meetings would we go to, how would we support this? So there’s.

Let me. I’ll send you a link. But there’s a, a meeting with that SOHs and all the homeless housing type of entities, non profits, state, county, all, all anybody associated with that subject heading. There’s a. It’s called the Hawaii Interagency blah, blah, blah, something. Anyways, they have these meetings and that and they take testimony, you know, and stuff. So I can send you a link to that. I know they just had one recently, so I’m not sure. And these kind of, you know, meetings, they’re like, yeah, our next hearing is this. And then, oh, it got canceled.

And I think last year they had like two meetings for the whole year and they’re supposed to have it monthly, you know, that kind of thing where they have a whole group of people anyways. So yeah, I can send you that where people can. I think and then this HPHA that just the meeting’s going on now this late. Oh so getting to that one, this lady called me and I think she sent an email to the entire legislature, but I’m the only one that responded to her. Well, wow, surprising. And her. She’s has litigation against the state in reference to Section 8 vouchers.

HUD and HUD. So she had, she. And before her becoming disabled, she was a paralegal so she knows law and knows how to research things like that. She was noticing that, wait, the federal government gave Hawaii. Say, I don’t have the numbers exact, but say, for example, 8,000 Section 8 housing vouchers the state has only used not even half. They’ve, they’ve dispersed not even half the other half of these unused vouchers per se, which she has tallied to be almost a billion dollars, 889 million. Something the state writes off as expenditure loss or something like what, what does that mean? Like expenditure loss.

And so she started questioning, researching this and that. And as she’s doing this, asking for documentation, whatever reports and stuff like that, they end up retaliating against her because she lost her Section 8 housing voucher. She then becomes homeless. She’s disabled and homeless because she was simply trying to get to the bottom of why is the state not using all their Section 8 vouchers to house our people? You know, and then the ones that you’re not using, you’re taking that money, almost a billion dollars. And where is that? You’re, you’re calling it a loss, like gain for somebody.

But yeah, so she alerted me. Well, she alerted the whole state, but I’m the only one who responded. And I’m like, oh, my God, I, we need to talk more about this. So, yeah, I’d like to answer her. Contact the money. Yeah, I will connect you. But, you know, and again, gotta research because this is what happens. Government just wants to hold all that. It’s right. Foia. You got to FOIA this and you got to FOIA that. You got to like, what, pull teeth to get any information which should be public records. This is public funding, public money, public records.

But they’re not public. And when you ask, they act like, you know, it’s theirs to keep and not give out. That’s not how it’s supposed to work. You know, so I was, since I switched parties, you know, I switched from Democratics to Republican Party and, you know, the doors of the doors have opened up for me in, in particular the federal level. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who’s like the head, head honcho for the House side up there at the federal level, hand wrote a welcome to the Republican Party letter card to me and said, you know, I want to meet you.

So I was recently up there at D.C. and, and got to meet him physically, which was totally awesome. And also there’s also Diamond Garcia and Senator Samantha De Court with me up there. So there three of us, and we all got to meet House Leader Scalise and also rfk, we got to meet him personally too. And, and got direct meetings with Speaker Johnson’s office. And so, you know, it’s like the federal level is Republican run. You know, here in Hawaii we’re the minority, small voice, underdog people. But when you step outside our walls of Hawaii, it’s a whole different world out there.

But when you come here, it’s so locked in and so controlled by the majority Democratic Party. And that’s a generational thing that’s been going on and it’s just. Yeah, you know, it needs to, there definitely needs to be a more balanced voice in this, in the political world here because it’s so locked down a one way, it’s who you know, it’s what and any. And they’re the majority, they’re the majority vote on every single thing. So there it is their way or the highway because there’s no countering it. There’s no another party or another side. And people get paid off to be a part of it.

People, you know, are, are, or they’re afraid of retaliation, they don’t want to lose their jobs. They’re, you know, they turn the other cheek, they’re going to ignore it. So it, the process and this corruption continues on and on and on. And it’s just the saddest thing, you know, I think. And again, it’s power in the people. Power in the people. We have to have that unified voice because we can take. So the house of cards with this whole DHS and this, this particular governor, it’s starting to crumble, it’s starting to fall, but we gotta keep toppling the next person, the next person, the next person.

So in the department of Department of Human Services, which has to do with the housing and the homelessness and all that stuff, is Joe Campos. He’s the guy if any people need to start bombarding that department because he’s now the director since Yamane stepped down because he got some target letter from the AG’s office about, about COVID funds, misuse of funds back in the day. So, so the other thing, key thing here is to track the federal funding because any misuse of federal funds is when now the feds can come in the doors, you know, because we’re not going to change anything within the state.

Right. So I, I can see that we shouldn’t have given $41 million to SOHs, but that they’re all protecting the states, protecting each other. The legislator supported it, the governor got the money he’s given it to that department. That little thing is, it’s going to be hard to break it loose, you know, break it open. But in the whole, say, building of the Kola project, I know there’s disaster funds related there. So any disaster fund on anything, any nonprofit, anything that needs to be researched. Because I believe today, like for example, you know, Lahaina Strong started out as a really good entity.

They’ve, you know, with all the money and power that’s happened, I think they’ve gone off on the wrong path, on the wrong track, you know. So I think a lot of people see that and, and know it too. So just to research so the funding, disaster funds came like, where’s the 4 billion that came to Lahaina? Yeah, that’s right. Where is it starters? Yeah. What happened? And if it had, and like I said, if it happened because you price gouged or you rose things so high that you were just able to spend down $4 billion, you know, in six months, how is that okay? How is that okay when something you, you raise the, you know, the level, the pricing on something that high, only to spend down $4 billion.

Like wait, that’s just totally not right either, you know, So I mean, again, the list goes on and on. But I think the people need to understand that a unified voice really, really matters. And it can do a lot of, a lot of work and, and good work. You know, it can be for the good of us all. That’s right. That’s, that’s actually the only way it’s going to be for the good of us all is if we come together because we cannot count on the legislation and we cannot count people like you, we can count on because you’ve been you from the beginning, you have been speaking out, you’ve been speaking up.

You’ve been trying to get audits, you tried to get an audit for the Lahaina, the money and everything like that, which you’ve been denied. But I do think that people, this is the only way we are actually going to do. I’m going to do another four island tour on election fraud. Mickey Willis actually did a whole documentary on our election frauds here in Hawaii. And I’m bringing also Sheriff Mack, he. Because we don’t have any sheriffs here either. Sheriffs are supposed to be protecting the people. So that’s coming in September, October. So you guys join standtogether hawaii.com for more information on that.

We’re working on getting Tulsi Gabbard there as well. As Anne Vandersteel, she’s also someone that you should know. But, Ellie, thank you so much for your time. Yeah. And you. I know you. You’re always constantly running around and doing what you need to do. It takes a lot of energy, and it’s Gets weary wearisome, you know, just. We know the truth, and it’s so hard just to keep trying to put it out there and. And support it when there’s just too much, you know, too much. Agreed. And. And too much. Yeah. Too much corruption happening, and it’s.

It’s just wrong. But we need to collectively unified voice, point it out and take care of it, because it can happen. So. Yeah, yeah, that’s. I’m always here to do that. I’m always here. But let me. I’ll follow up and send you, you know, these meetings and things that people can attend and insert their voices because again, our collective unified voice really matters, and we have to together, so. Absolutely. So let. Quick prayer and then let you go. Let me know if I. If I can. You see me? Am I. Yes. Am I frozen? Yeah, you pray here and there, but, yeah, I see you.

Oh, good. Yeah, my Internet’s being weird. All right, let’s just do a quick prayer. Infinite Creator, Great Spirit, of all things. There is a frequency in our heart right now. We call it forth right now that truth unfold, that people do what is right. We call that forth right now because everybody in their hearts can turn to doing what is right, not what is easy, but what is right in their heart. And we call that forth right now that all of the people in power right now that their hearts be turned to doing what is right for the people, to doing what is right for these survivors.

And the truth unfolds that all people see it, that it cannot stay hidden any longer. Great Spirit, we call that forth. We call forth the unification of all voices here in Hawaii and. And all places around the world. The people come together and say, no more. No more corruption. No more stealing from the people. No more putting innocent people homeless number. Homeless people. We call forth the taking care of each and every person right now. Great Spirit, we know it is done. And we give so much gratitude for Ellie and her courage to speak the truth and to do what is right.

Because she’s always been there. Great Spirit, you have put a spark in her, and we are so, so grateful for that. Thank you so much. Great Spirit. We get to watch the movie unfold as things do. The light is shined so bright that the truth is unfolded and that things do get better for the Hawaii islands and for all people around the world. We call that forth right now. We give so much gratitude. And so it is. Thank you so much, Ellie. Really appreciate you. And yes, get me in touch with the disabled women else. I will, I will.

All right, you take care now. Thanks for all you do. Aloha. Aloha.
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