'22MAR01 PM 1:53 CITY CLERKCITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

FISCAL RECOVERY
FUND COMMUNITYENGAGEMENTSURVEY REPORT
January 13 to February 14, 2022

Prepared by
Office of Economic
Revitalization

MAYOR'S MESSAGE 29
HEcon

Survey
Introduction

PURPOSE
Community engagement is critical to sound public policy and decision-making. The City
and County of Honolulu (City) is committed to soliciting feedback from residents to
inform its use of the Fiscal Recovery Fund (FRF). In order to better understand the priorities
and concerns of Oʻahu residents, the Office of Economic Revitalization (OER) administered
the FRF Community Engagement Survey to gain insight into the community prioritization of
FRF focus areas.
This report contains a summary of that prioritization as well as information about the City's
effort to get responses reflecting the diversity of our island community. Readers will alsofind information about how community prioritization of certain FRF focus areas may havebeen impacted by the Omicron surge.
And the City is committed to continuing the conversation. At the conclusion of this report,a reader will find that the City will continue to reach out to solicit your feedback in future
surveys and at oneoahu.org/frf as we determine funding priorities through 2024.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Mayor's Message

DEAR NEIGHBORS,
Knowing and understanding the needs and priorities of communities across Oʻahu is fundamental
to delivering focused services and relief that matters, which is why I am very grateful so many ofyou responded to this survey. I thank all those, including members of the Honolulu City Council,
who helped get this survey out to our communities.
The City and County of Honolulu received Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund(SLFRF) monies to help us fight the pandemic, support families and businesses, maintain vital
services in the face of declining revenue and build a strong, resilient and equitable recovery by
investing in transformative projects supporting long term growth and opportunity.
As we move forward, optimistic about Honolulu’s recovery and future, these survey results will help
us smartly and meaningfully invest SLFRF monies in our communities. Early investments werefocused on public health, safety and modernization of government to better serve our residents.
We are currently designing a multimillion-dollar grant program to address community needs
through direct and indirect investments, including investments that will build capacity in our
thriving non-profit sector. In partnership with our colleagues from the Honolulu City Council, I am
confident we will make the best use of Honolulu’s SLFRF monies to stimulate and expand our
economy, improve government operations and bring relief to our communities.
In closing, this survey is just the beginning of our on-going commitment to engage with ourcommunities further.
Sincerely,

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

About the FRF
Community
Engagement Survey

SURVEY CREATION & METHODOLOGY
November 2021 - January 2022: The team used the City's 2021 Initial Recovery Plan toshape the questionnaire and present those taking the survey with options that are
relevant and legally appropriate uses of FRF funding. The survey was hosted online atoneoahu.org/frf. Respondents were asked to rank various FRF focus areas in order ofpriority. Respondents needing assistance with the survey for technical or disability
needs were encouraged to call the City's COVID-19 Response Team to have a staff
member assist them in filling out the survey.

DATA COLLECTION

January 13 to February 14, 2022: During the data collection period, residents wereencouraged to take the survey through a number of communications channels.
Results were monitored daily to ensure accuracy and ease of access to the survey.

RESULTS

Data collected in the FRF Survey will influence decision-making in the City's use of FRF
funds. Data highlights are reflected in this report and full results are available atoneoahu.org/frf. Data for this report has been filtered to exclude non-Oʻahu
respondents.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

BY THE NUMBERS

Survey participation was higher than expected. Written responses to long form
answer questions show a significant willingness and desire amongst the community toprovide feedback on spending priorities and other City initiatives.
Responses Per Week

1,250

Goal

1,000

Total
Responses

1,201

1,191

Long-form
Responses

682

Radio
3.5%

306

0

Newspaper
19.1%

761

500

250

Common survey sample sizes forpolls conducted on Oʻahu are
between 400 and 1,000
respondents.

Other
29.8%

954

1,000

TV
8.8%

1,201

1,095

750

Oahu
Responses"Where did you hear about our survey?"306

1/17/2022

Social Media
15.6%

455
193
1/24/2022

1/31/2021

Email
23.2%

141
2/7/2022106
2/14/2022

Orange numbers above are weekly responses. Red
numbers are the running total responses at the close ofeach week.

Question added midway through the survey
period and does not fully reflect the impact of
initial media engagements and press release.
"Other" included: friends and family, colleagues,
and internet news sites.

COMMUNICATIONS & OUTREACH
Traditional MediaOER drafted and distributed press release and managed interview availabilities with OER
Director. This resulted in six stories.

Email Distribution

OER sent emails to numerous community partners and organizations asking for assistance inpublicizing the survey link. Additionally, the FRF survey was highlighted in the OER newsletter onfour occasions with a total of 989 link clicks.

Social MediaOER created and distributed social media assets via One Oʻahu social media platforms withorganic reach and paid advertising campaigns totaling over 3,300 impressions.
oneoahu.org/frf

oneoahu.org/frf hosted survey tool, graphic explanation of FRF priority areas, and DIT FRF
spending dashboard. This page was viewed 7,338 times during the survey period.

Direct Outreach & Presentations

OER Director presented to a variety of stakeholders and interest groups about the survey tosolicit assistance in publicizing the survey link.
CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULURANKING OF MAIN
PRIORITY AREAS
The City and County of Honolulu was awarded $386 million in Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal
Recovery Funds (FRF). The FRF is part of the federal government’s $1.3 trillion American Rescue
Plan Act (ARPA) package that provides relief in many ways. While there are a broad variety ofneeds across Oʻahu, funds from this source must fit in specific categories of spending. The
options presented in this survey reflect programs, services, and focus areas that are allowable
uses of FRF funding.
More information about these uses, definitions of the terms used in the survey, and the City's 2021
Initial Recovery Plan can be found at oneoahu.org/frf.
This is the cumulative ranking of each of the eight (8) main priority areas in the FRF survey. The
scoring range is eight (8) at the highest and one (1) at the lowest. For example, if a topic wasranked as the third highest choice, it would be given a score of six (6). The scores for each
respondent's rankings are then averaged to give a final cumulative average rank.

Economic & Workforce Development: 5.27
Public Health: 5.17

Housing Access: 5.05

Individual & Family Support: 4.88
Public Safety: 4.66

Vulnerable Populations: 4.45

Climate Change & Environment: 4.01
Arts & Culture: 2.50

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

SURVEY TIMING & CONTEXTSurvey Responses and COVID-19 Case Counts
As COVID-19 case counts (teal and grey bars) and the rolling seven day average casecounts (red line) began to fall, prioritization of Economic & Workforce Development (yellowline) began to increase and Public Health prioritization (light blue line) fell. This is likely aresult of decreasing anxiety about COVID-19 related issues as case counts fell. Prioritization of
Housing Access (dark blue line) remained relatively stable through the survey period.

Legend= 7 Day Average COVID Cases= Economic & Workforce Development= Housing Access= Public Health
CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

96
74
4
96
82
2
96
81
6
96
81
3
96
73
4
96
81
7
96
82
5
96
81
4
96
81
5
96
78
9
96
79
7
96
70
6
96
82
1
96
82
6
96
81
9
96
70
7
96
79
2
96
70
1
96
81
8
96
78
2
96
79
5
96
71
2
96
78
6
96
76
2
96
79
1
96
73
0
96
71
7
96
73
1
96
82
8
96
82
0
96
82
4
96
80
4
96
82
3
96
84
8
96
80
9

25

Waimānalo

Pearl CityĀliamanu/Salt Lake

50

PO Box (Urban Honolulu)

UH/East West Center

PO Box (Urban Honolulu)

PO Box (Urban Honolulu)

PO Box (East Oʻahu)

PO Box (Urban Honolulu)

PO Box (Urban Honolulu)

KahukuHauʻula/Punaluu

Kaʻaʻawa

WaialuaLāʻie

WahiawāHaleʻiwa/North ShoreʻAiea

Waiʻanae

Kapolei

Kalihi/Moanalua

McCully/MōʻiliʻiliʻĀina Haina

ʻEwa

Waipahu/Waikele

Mililani

WaikīkīAla Moana

Hawai‘i Kai

Kalihi/‘Ālewa

KailuaDowntown/Pauoa

Kaimukī/Pālolo

Mānoa/Makiki

Kāneʻohe

GEOGRAPHIC DATA

Highest concentrations of results came from Urban Honolulu. However, the single mostrepresented zip code was 96744 (Kāneʻohe). The North Shore and the northern section of the
Windward side were the least represented areas. To view more data visualizations, visit
oneoahu.org/frf.

Data for this report has been filtered to exclude non-Oʻahu respondents.

125

100

75

0

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

DEMOGRAPHIC DATA
Korean1.8%

Other Asian
0.8%

Filipino
3.7%

White
26.7%

Other
6.7%

318

26.70%

219

18.39%

Native Hawaiian

183

15.37%

Prefer not to answer

138

11.59%

Chinese

95

7.98%

Other

80

6.72%

Filipino

44

3.69%

Hispanic or Latino

27

2.27%

Korean

21

1.76%

Black

16

1.34%

Native American or Alaska Native

16

1.34%

Other Asian

9

0.76%

Vietnamese

7

0.59%

Other Pacific Islander

7

0.59%

Samoan6

0.50%

Chinese8%

Prefer not to answer
11.6%

White
JapaneseJapanese
18.4%

Native Hawaiian
15.4%

Micronesian

3

0.25%

Middle Eastern or North African

2

0.17%

Tongan00%Chamorro00%

While the survey had over 1,200 respondents, some demographic groups were
underrepresented compared to their percentage of the Oʻahu population. White participation
was overrepresented while most other groups were underrepresented or did not have enoughrespondents to accurately gauge their level of representation
Age Distribution

Gender Distribution

300

300

Prefer not to answer
7.5%

HouseholdIncome Distribution

200

200

an
sw
er

an
d

Pr
ef
er

no
tt
o

ol
de
r

65
-7
4

75

55
-6
4

45
-5
4

35
-4
4

25
-3
4

18
-2
4

Un
de
r

18

0

100

0
$2
$2
5,
00
5,
00
0
0
-$
50
$5
,0
0,
00
00
0
-$
$7
75
5,
,0
00
00
0
-$
$1
10
00
0,
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,0
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-$
12
5,
Ab
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ov
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e
$
Pr
12
ef
5
er
,0
00
no
tt
o
an
sw
er

Male
39.7%

Female
51.8%

U
nd
er

100

In each of the demographic categories, statistically significant numbers of respondents
elected not to share their information i.e., it is not clear if the divergence in the demographics
reported in this survey is directly reflected in those respondents or if some populations are
truly underrepresented.
CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #1

Score: 5.27/8.0

ECONOMIC & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Programs which focus on skill development for individuals or businesses toincrease their competitiveness.

Economic and Workforce Development increased in priority level as the Omicron surge
declined. This area was the top-ranked priority amongst residents who identified themselves as
Native Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern/North African, and those who selected "other".
Those who identified as male or declined to provide their gender also ranked this as their top
priority. Middle (household incomes of $50,000 to $100,000) and high income households(household incomes over $125,000) favored this focus area. Respondents between 35 and 54
and those over 75 ranked Economic and Workforce Development as their top priority. It was
selected as the top priority by 225 respondents and in the top three by a total of 585
respondents.

32.1%
11.6%

6.7%
INTERNET ACCESS& DIGITAL LITERACY

0

49.6%

SMALL BUSINESS GRANTSOR TECHNICALASSISTANCEWORKFORCE TRAINING &SKILL BUILDINGAGRICULTURAL GRANTSOR TECHNICALASSISTANCE

Economic and Workforce
10
20
Development was a very strongly
held priority in Urban Honolulu
and Windward Oʻahu.

We should find ways to diversify the
economy so we aren't so dependent
on tourism. If we create more jobs,
and have more money moving
through our economy, the federalmonies spent in this program will havea long lasting positive effect.

30

40

50

We need to plan how to keep our young
folks here on the islands. Many are
moving away because they cannot
afford to purchase their own housing
because its so expensive and also needmore job opportunities and better pay
for them as well so they will remain in
Hawaii.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #2
Score: 5.17/8.0

PUBLIC HEALTH

Responses to the adverse public health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic,
especially those adverse impacts to individuals and families.
Public Health fell in priority level as the Omicron surge declined. Due to the high prioritization ofthis area during the Omicron surge peak, it was the top-ranked priority for most of the survey
period but was nudged out by Economic and Workforce Development at the end of the survey
period. This area was the top-ranked priority amongst residents who identified themselves as
White, Native American or Alaska Native, Filipino, Japanese, and Chinese. Those who identified
as female also ranked this as their top priority. Households with incomes of $100,000 to $125,000
and those who declined to share their income favored this focus area. Respondents between
55 and 74 ranked Pubic Health as their top priority. It was selected as the top priority by 174
respondents and in the top three by a total of 571 respondents.

62.7%
COVID-19
TESTING SITES

31.9%
0

5.4%

SUBSTANCE ABUSE ORMISUSE TREATMENTMENTAL &BEHAVIORAL HEALTHSUPPORT

25

Public Health was a strongly held priority in
Urban Honolulu and Windward Oʻahu. Thispriority was more evenly distributed islandwide than Economic and Workforce
Development.

Hire more nurses locally to staff our
hospitals on an on-going basis. Convert
empty buildings into hospitals toaccommodate more ICU beds. Hire
more officers to police our streets andquick response. Hire more EMT withadditional equipment. Repair our roads.
Additional COVID "Rapid testing" sites orhome test distribution centers.

5075

Helping the homelesspopulation, which has a big
mental health & public healthelements, not to mention has
impact on tourism and public
safety concerns.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #3
Score: 5.05/8.0

HOUSING ACCESS

Services to assist those facing homelessness or housing instability.

Housing Access remained fairly stable in priority level throughout the survey period. This ispossibly due to the combined pressures of everyday housing access and the acute housingpressures caused by the Omicron surge and the need for isolation accommodations. This area
was the top-ranked priority amongst residents who identified themselves as Black, Samoan,
Micronesian, and Hispanic or Latino. Those who identified as female ranked this as their second
highest priority. Low income households (household incomes below $50,000) favored thisfocus area. The geographic concentration of the respondents to the survey tracked closely withcensus income data showing those living in lower income zip codes were more likely to prioritize
Housing Access. Respondents under 35 ranked Housing Access as their top priority. It was
selected as the top priority by 168 respondents and in the top three by a total of 517
respondents.

59%

WRAP AROUND SERVICES
FOR HOMELESS OR ATRISK HOUSEHOLDS

25.3%
15.7%
0

EVICTIONSUPPORT OR
LEGAL AID

HOUSINGNAVIGATIONSERVICES

20

40

60

Housing Access was a strongly held
priority in Kalihi and the western portion of
Urban Honolulu and across LeewardOʻahu.
Housing access not just for houseless or at risk households. The cost of
housing across the state is NOT sustainable for working class people. I holda graduate degree and spend more than 50% of my income on rent, thecost of food is expensive, inflation keeps rising, which means the majority of
my income is spent on addressing my basic needs. This translates to not
being able to pay off my student loans faster, not being able to save forretirement as much as I would like, or to save up to actually purchase ahome. This leads to serious consideration of leaving Hawai'i and as a Native
Hawaiian, it is unacceptable that I am unable to live and thrive in myancestral homeland, which was stolen from us...

Stay the course on creating more
affordable housing on Oahu.
Other than beating back theCovid pandemic, there is nohigher priority for the future wellbeing of our community.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #4
Score: 4.88/8.0

INDIVIDUAL & FAMILY SUPPORT

Services targeted to individuals and families facing domestic challenges
which are not covered by traditional social service program.
Individual and Family Support remained very stable in priority level through the survey period.
This area was the top-ranked priority amongst residents who identified themselves as Korean,
Other Asian, and Other Pacific Islander. Individual and Family Support was not ranked as a toppriority by any gender group, age, or income bracket. It was solidly in the middle for each otherthese demographic groups. It was selected as the top priority by 137 respondents and in the top
three by a total of 497 respondents.

44.3%
23.7%
INTERNET ACCESSHOUSEHOLD FINANCIAL
COUNSELING

DEPENDENT
CAREGIVER SUPPORTS

6.9%

0

25.2%

CHILD CARESUBSIDIES

10

20

Individual and Family Support was fairly evenly
distributed island-wide. This is the strongest
priority level seen on the North Shore andnorthern Windward coast amongst the 8 focus
areas.

Rehabilitation and transitional support
for women in the corrections system,
especially those with young children,
as well as diversion programs to offer
treatment instead of prison for nonviolent offenders , especially motherswith children.

30

40

50

Education needs tobe part of the list.
Especially schools
and childcare
related issues.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #5
Score: 4.66/8.0

PUBLIC SAFETY

Programs and services to improve safety and well-being of targetedcommunities.
Public Safety was the second most frequently selected top-ranked choice. However, in the
cumulative rankings, it is in the fifth slot. This could be a sign that there is a passionate groupthat feels this is the top priority but that the rest of the respondents do not see this as a high as
it is not a commonly selected second or third priority. This area was the top-ranked priority
amongst residents who preferred not to identify their ethnic or racial background. Respondents
who preferred not to share their household income level favored this focus area. Public Safety
was not a top ranked priority by any gender or age group. It was selected as the top priority by
209 respondents and in the top three by a total of 498 respondents.

52.8%
COMMUNITY
POLICING

26.2%
21.0%
0

POLICING
ALTERNATIVES/CRISISREPONSE TEAMWEED ANDSEEDPROGRAMS

20

40

60

Public Safety was a strongly held priority in
Urban Honolulu. Zip codes 96816 and 96822 has
the highest concentration of respondents
prioritizing Public Safety.

I would like to see HPD cooperating andcollaborating with housing assistance andvulnerable population programs. These
programs don't work if police dismiss/ignore or
actively sabotage them. We also need stronger
programs for mental health and addiction
services instead of just moving chronicallyhouseless persons around the city and punishingthem by stealing everything they own in raids.
That helps no one.

Funding to support small
businesses who are forced tospend monies on security
measures to keep
clients/employees/property safe
as neighborhoods decline and ‘bad
actors’ roam the streets day andnight. It is exhausting.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #6
Score: 4.45/8.0

VULNERABLE POPULATIONSPopulations at greater risk for poor health, limited access to healthcare, and reduced life
expectancy. Their health needs are complex, intersecting with social and economic conditions
they experience. Individuals in vulnerable populations are also likely to have one or more physicaland/or mental health conditions.

Vulnerable Populations remained very stable in priority level through the survey period. This area
was not the top-ranked priority by any demographic group identified in the survey. It was
selected as the top priority by 115 respondents and in the top three by a total of 428
respondents.

43.9%
12.3%
10.5%
0

IMMIGRANTSERVICES

33.3%

FOOD ACCESSPROGRAMSCOMMUNITYASSISTANCE HUBSDOMESTIC VIOLENCEPROGRAMS

10Vulnerable Populations
20 wasfairly evenly distributed islandwide but most strongly
concentrated in the Kalihi and
Makiki areas of Urban Honolulu.

As a coalition of 25+ immigrant-serving/led organizations wehave spent time discussing what we need most to address theneeds of various immigrant pop. on O'ahu (including: COFA,
Filipino, etc.). There are many needs but one specific one is tobuild the capacity within these communities and smallorganizations/ task forces so that their folks can continue torespond to this crisis and the ones to come. Too few of thesegroups were able to access CAREs funds b/c they are not
501(c)3s. They need administrative support, like a nonprofit
accelerator, that would help unburden them of accounting, fiscal
management, and grant reporting so that they can focus onhuman services and training their folks to become licensed
interpreters and case managers. Water is only a blessing when
you have pipes- we didn't have the pipes (infrastructure) needed
to meet the needs when they arose. Now is the time to build it.

30

40

50

We need ahomeless shelteron the Windward
side

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #7
Score: 4.01/8.0

CLIMATE CHANGE & ENVIRONMENT

Programs dedicated to preserving our island environment and protecting Oahu from the impactsof climate change

Climate Change & Environment remained very stable in priority level through the survey period
and was consistently in the seventh slot. This area was not the top-ranked priority by any
demographic group identified in the survey. It was selected as the top priority by 138
respondents and in the top three by a total of 356 respondents.

86.8%
GREEN JOBS OR
CLEAN ENERGY
JOBS

13.2%
0

COMMUNITY GARDENS

25

50

75

100

Climate Change & Environment was astrong priority in Kāneʻohe, Urban
Honolulu, and East Oʻahu.

Related to climate change and the environment, I
would like to see more investment into climate
mitigation programs, including those that would
increase usability and accessibility of public transit,
expansion of bikeway infrastructure, and electricvehicle chargers. I would also like to see moreinvestment into the efficiency and readiness of ourbuilding stock, particularly programs related toenergy efficiency in affordable housing andresidential retrofits for hurricane preparedness. I
would also like to see investment into businesses andorganizations that provide climate resilienceinnovations.

We need to prioritize efforts tomitigate the effects of climatechange, whether it be efforts toincrease renewable energy,
demilitarization, grow local food andagriculture sector, etc... Out of allareas it is biggest existential crisis to
our communities.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

Priority #8
Score: 2.50/8.0

ARTS & CULTURE

Programs focused on promoting and preserving art and culture in communities.

Arts & Culture remained very stable in priority level through the survey period and wasconsistently in the last slot. 25 of the 1,201 respondents selected this as their top priority. This
area was not the top-ranked priority by any demographic group identified in the survey. It was
selected as the top priority by 25 respondents and in the top three by a total of 121 respondents.

COMMUNITYARTS &CULTUREEVENTSCOMMUNITY
DRIVENTOURISMINITIATIVES

All respondents who selected Arts & Culture as their top priority ranked Community Arts & Culture
Events over Community Driven Tourism Initiatives.

No residents from the WestSide or North Shore selected
Arts & Culture as their top
ranked priority.

Culture and NH cultural values should be integrated
in all the public service work provided by the C&C
of Honolulu. The priority areas of Arts & Culture
should have more options around access tocultural activities or initiatives in communities andneighborhoods not just tourism and highpopulated areas, i.e Waikiki, Ala Moana. Public
Safety & Health should go hand in hand. Ideally,funding for Economic & Workforce Development
would go towards community organization alreadyproviding these services, instead of hiringconsultants to establish NEW programing.

We will lose our arts andculture organizations if
the City does notcommit recovery funds
to this.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

THEMES & TAKEAWAYSKey Highlights:
Economic & Workforce Development are the top priority amongst residents surveyed.
Focus is strongly on rebuilding small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Workforce
development and job training were also ranked highly.
COVID-19 and Public Health remain a high priority amongst Oʻahu residents but focus ismoving toward recovery as the Omicron variant surge wanes.
Many respondents made the connection between Public Health, Public Safety, andVulnerable Populations. Residents see the issue of homelessness as the intersection ofthese issues.
Housing Access is viewed by respondents most often as access to affordable housing orin relation to homelessness. Lack of affordable housing was identified by some as a cause
of of the state's “brain drain.”More options need to be presented in order for residents to better understand Climate
Change and Environment as a priority under the FRF.
Though Arts and Culture was not ranked highly as a standalone priority, many
respondents expressed a desire to see cultural integration in recovery
programs.
Many survey respondents noted interest in programs, services, or ideas that are not within
the City and County of Honolulu's purview. These included education, access tounemployment services, and State-level taxation.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

NEXT STEPSThe City and County of Honolulu will use the results of this survey tohelp inform use of the Fiscal Recovery Fund monies in the coming
months.
Additionally, the City will continue the conversation and plans to
conduct follow up surveys to gauge community priorities and interestand to give an opportunity for continued feedback.
Please visit oneoahu.org/frf periodically for updates.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU

MAHALO
Please visit oneoahu.org/frf to download this report and to view fullsurvey results.
For additional information, please contact the Office of Economic
Revitalization at oer@honolulu.gov.

CITY & COUNTY OF HONOLULU