WAILUKU - Maui Economic Opportunity's unique prisoner reintegration program will shed more than half of its staff and will have to decrease its level of services as the program will not receive a large chunk of state funding this coming fiscal year.
Ten of the program's 19 staff members will be laid off June 30, the end of the fiscal year, said Sandy Baz, the agency's chief executive officer, in an e-mail. The workers have been notified, although some will be hired to work in other MEO programs, he said.
The program, called Being Empowered and Safe Together, or "BEST," is the only one of its kind in the state, Baz said. It provides educational training and support for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people to better prepare for reintegration into the community. It includes community mentors, Hawaiian cultural classes, a hula halau, and other support and treatment services.
Baz called the cutbacks in the program "sad."
"It's is very frustrating to build a successful and effective program only to be forced to take a couple steps backward," he said. "We will continue to work hard to assist those in need of help and partner with the state to increase safety in the community."
The program had requested a grant-in-aid for operational funds from the Legislature this past session, but the request was denied because of the state's ongoing fiscal crisis, Baz said.
In the past, the Legislature appropriated $1.2 million for the program over two years. The $600,000 annual appropriation made up half of the program's annual budget.
Baz said there will be leftover funds from the Legislature's past appropriations.
Even without the appropriated funds, Baz said, he had hoped to work something out with the Department of Public Safety to see if there was a way for MEO to continue to use remaining operational funds for the program this upcoming fiscal year.
But this week, the department said it would not continue its purchase of service contract for the inmate reintegration program with the remaining funds of approximately $715,000.
Tommy Johnson, state deputy director for corrections, said in an e-mail that the department would process all pending invoices and the balance from the contract would be returned to the state General Fund.
MEO's staffing decisions are independent of any decision by the Department of Public Safety, he added.
Baz said that although the program receives funding from multiple sources, the operating funds from the state provided for "the core" of the program, such as staff salaries, as well as programs such as training support services, treatment services, housing and mentors.
Although the reintegration program did not receive operational funds, it did receive state money for its Ke Kahua project. That is a Native Hawaiian agricultural program that seeks to improve the quality of life of formerly incarcerated people and Native Hawaiian families, Baz said.
* Melissa Tanji can be reached at mtanji@mauinews.com.
