Maui Economic Opportunity is seeking the community’s help in identifying Maui County’s top community needs as the Community Action Agency embarks on a process to develop a three-year plan to tackle those needs.

The survey of the general public and stakeholders is an initial step as MEO creates a Community Action Plan for 2027-30.

The Community Needs Assessment Survey can be found at https://forms.gle/uq57oVKrHpHcKUvx8. The deadline to receive the surveys is June 25.

MEO was established 60 years ago through the American Opportunity Act, part of President Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty. The agency is one of more than a thousand Community Action Agencies across the nation (and four in Hawai`i) formed to tackle poverty.

The federal Community Action organizational standards call for Community Action Agencies to conduct a Community Needs Assessment every three years. The assessment considers the perceptions of the causes of poverty and the breadth of community needs addressing the causes.

The assessment is shared with community partners and is the basis for developing a plan to address the gaps in assistance and unmet needs aligned with MEO’s mission to strengthen the community while helping people in need restore their hope, help them reach their potential and enrich their lives.

The current Community Action Plan runs through Sept. 26, 2026.

For more information, contact MEO at (808) 249-2990.
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About Maui Economic Opportunity
Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc., is a nonprofit agency that’s part of the national Community Action Partnership network, whose goal is to help low income individuals and families help themselves and transform their lives. Chartered in 1965, MEO offers more than 40 programs that assist low income people, kupuna, youths, persons with disabilities, and immigrants countywide. MEO runs the Human Services specialized transportation program for health and dialysis appointments, after-school and youth sports activities and more; the Maui Bus paratransit system; Head Start preschools and Kahi Kamali‘i Infant Toddler Center; as well as programs that offer kupuna socialization and information; rent, mortgage and utility assistance; Spanish interpretation and translation; entrepreneurial and financial classes and support, including microloans; inmate reintegration into the community after release; youth drinking, drug, smoking, bullying and suicide prevention; and employment training and placement. For more information about the entire array of programs, visit meoinc.org or call (808) 249-2990.