2023-04-27 Merit Appeals Board Minutes

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Merit Appeals Board April 27, 2023 telling you about—one of the things we're working on with the mayor is a resilient sisters thing—and one of the deals is getting the various churches to embrace each other. So, I am not promoting any particular religion. I'm the last person to do that. But I am saying that's a place people, if they're not—if they were willing to step outside of their house and they have a church, that's where they're going to go next. CHR. CABANAS: AndI want to add to that—and reach out to their families because the individual himself or herself would not be in a position to do that because of a fear factor. It's the families. So, when you go to the mall you're outreaching to the families, right—little do we know, they may have someone at home who hasn't done anything for four years. Yeah. And they're frustrated, they don't know how to help this individual. So that's how this all—it's more than HR—it's a network of organizations trying to reach out to those that are stillI want to say stuck or feeling lost, yeah. MR. LEOPOLDINO: Yeah, that's interesting that you brought that up. Because we've encountered a number of moms and dads and aunties and uncles who have stopped by and said, "I really want my son to get back into the workforce. I want my nephew to get back into workforce." So, you hit the nail on the head. I mean, it's the families that are trying to get them back into the workforce. And so, there is definitely a group out there potential group out there to come and work for the County. So, I appreciate the comments. Yeah. Thank you. MS. MATHEWS: So, Kate, this is probably a question directed at you. Are there any programs that HCC, in particular, because they're less expensive—might be able to offer for free whether it happens to be Math 100 or basic back employment kinds of things that could work with the County saying, "We just got this opportunity for you but it's a limited time offer here. You've got sign up within the next... "something in that order so that the hook is get them back into school and let them feel same with you, they're inline or onlineI think the online is a great way to get people going again. I'm going to take a statistic class as soon as I can slow down because I hated mine in college. And but the County then can say—"and we did this." Right? CHR. CABANAS: Go ahead, Kate. MS. DE SOTO: I was going to say, there are quite a few creative programs that have come out in the last few years, especially, `cause there's so much extra funding available from COVID. And I think you're familiar—you might have mentioned once, the back -to -work initiative that happened. I was more aware of it in—related to Honolulu County `cause I helped do some training with Honolulu County. But I know there's tons of opportunities and it sounds like, honestly, Waylen's perfectly positioned to have those conversations with the people that are in the right places to do it—like, the non-credit programs. `Cause that's a little less threatening Page 15