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Resource assistance available for Lahaina's diverse immigrant community

Hawaiʻi Public Radio | By Russell Subiono
Published November 16, 2023 at 10:18 PM HST
Volunteers helping those who lost homes in Lahaina stop to pray on a hillside. The town is surrounded by dry, invasive grasses which are highly flammable.
Deanne Fitzmaurice for NPR
Volunteers helping those who lost homes in Lahaina stop to pray on a hillside. The town is surrounded by dry, invasive grasses which are highly flammable.

Among those dealing with the heartbreak and loss brought on by the Maui wildfires are Lahaina's immigrant community.

Liza Ryan-Gill, the coordinator of the Hawaiʻi Coalition for Immigrant Rights, said many in the community have yet to apply for disaster recovery assistance because of the language barrier and a belief they aren’t eligible due to their immigrant status.

So who is looking out for them and making sure they get the help they need? The Conversation discussed the situation with Ryan-Gill and Veronica Mendoza-Jachowski, the Executive Director of the Maui nonprofit Roots Reborn.

This interview aired on The Conversation on Nov. 16, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
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The Conversation 2023 Maui firesimmigrationMaui
Russell Subiono
Russell Subiono is the executive producer of The Conversation and host of HPR's This Is Our Hawaiʻi podcast. Born in Honolulu and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, he’s spent the last decade working in local film, television and radio. Contact him at talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.
See stories by Russell Subiono
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