HACBED
About Us
History
The 1970s and '80s were decades of tremendous growth and development for the state of Hawai`i. Spurred by advances in air transportation and the obvious potential of Hawai`i as a tourist destination, overseas companies engaged in record levels of real estate acquisition and development in those decades. New hotels, condominiums, shopping centers and housing subdivisions sprung up, transforming the islands into a Pacific mecca for tourists.
These "boom" years were not uniformly celebrated by Hawai`i residents and communities. While the rise of the visitor industry generated tremendous wealth for some, many communities continued to suffer from high levels of poverty, unemployment, crime and related social ills. Furthermore, some Hawai`i communities saw new development directly linked to the loss of their natural resources, lifestyle and culture.
Thus, while the '70s and '80s are often viewed as prosperous years for Hawai`i, those years also gave rise to a protest movement that continues to evolve today. In 1992, the movement's leaders convened to discuss a new direction for their efforts. After years of fighting unwanted forms of development, they assembled to define the kind of development they did want: development that would respect culture and values, distribute wealth equitably, and empower residents rather than leave them disenfranchised - development guided by the needs and priorities of communities themselves.
The vision was given a name - community-based economic development (CBED)- and an organization was founded to advance it. The Hawai`i Alliance for Community Based Economic Development (HACBED) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established in 1992 to encourage increased investment in community-based approaches to economic development. Consistent with its philosophy of community-driven change, HACBED is a membership-based entity, governed by community-based, nonprofit organizations that are practitioners in CBED.
The Organization
The Hawai`i Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED) is a statewide federally tax-exempt non-profit organization established in 1992 to encourage increased investments in sustainable and community-based approaches to economic development.
HACBED's mission is to maximize the effectiveness of people working in communities and the non-profit sector to build a healthier and safer Hawai`i through community-based economic development.
HACBED pursues its mission by assisting community-based economic institutions that provide direct economic benefits to individuals, families, and communities. These institutions enhance investments in community to help build an economic structure in which communities can exercise greater control over their own futures.
HACBED supports community-based economic development by being a facilitator, catalyst, broker, and producer of training, technical assistance, advocacy, education, and research and development products and services.
Examples of HACBED's past activities include:
History
The 1970s and '80s were decades of tremendous growth and development for the state of Hawai`i. Spurred by advances in air transportation and the obvious potential of Hawai`i as a tourist destination, overseas companies engaged in record levels of real estate acquisition and development in those decades. New hotels, condominiums, shopping centers and housing subdivisions sprung up, transforming the islands into a Pacific mecca for tourists.
These "boom" years were not uniformly celebrated by Hawai`i residents and communities. While the rise of the visitor industry generated tremendous wealth for some, many communities continued to suffer from high levels of poverty, unemployment, crime and related social ills. Furthermore, some Hawai`i communities saw new development directly linked to the loss of their natural resources, lifestyle and culture.
Thus, while the '70s and '80s are often viewed as prosperous years for Hawai`i, those years also gave rise to a protest movement that continues to evolve today. In 1992, the movement's leaders convened to discuss a new direction for their efforts. After years of fighting unwanted forms of development, they assembled to define the kind of development they did want: development that would respect culture and values, distribute wealth equitably, and empower residents rather than leave them disenfranchised - development guided by the needs and priorities of communities themselves.
The vision was given a name - community-based economic development (CBED)- and an organization was founded to advance it. The Hawai`i Alliance for Community Based Economic Development (HACBED) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization established in 1992 to encourage increased investment in community-based approaches to economic development. Consistent with its philosophy of community-driven change, HACBED is a membership-based entity, governed by community-based, nonprofit organizations that are practitioners in CBED.
The Organization
The Hawai`i Alliance for Community-Based Economic Development (HACBED) is a statewide federally tax-exempt non-profit organization established in 1992 to encourage increased investments in sustainable and community-based approaches to economic development.
HACBED's mission is to maximize the effectiveness of people working in communities and the non-profit sector to build a healthier and safer Hawai`i through community-based economic development.
HACBED pursues its mission by assisting community-based economic institutions that provide direct economic benefits to individuals, families, and communities. These institutions enhance investments in community to help build an economic structure in which communities can exercise greater control over their own futures.
HACBED supports community-based economic development by being a facilitator, catalyst, broker, and producer of training, technical assistance, advocacy, education, and research and development products and services.
Examples of HACBED's past activities include:
- playing a primary role in establishing the Hawai`i CBED Program in the State Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism;
- developing and establishing the Hawai`i Community Loan Fund, a nationally certified community development financial institution;
- organizing three state-wide CBED conferences (1992, 1993, & 1994) with public and private partners;
- conducting weekend CBED trainings (over 6 and 8 month periods) for more than 50 organizations (1993, 1995, 1999, 2000, and 2002); and
- introducing such CBED strategies as microenterprise development, Individual Development Accounts (IDAs), and strategies to Hawai`i through trainings, workshops, and forums.