We are recruiting a Data Visualization Specialist to support our ongoing work to make data in Hawai‘i more accessible, meaningful and relevant for addressing pressing challenges. In this role, you will be responsible for building data visualization and dashboard products across a range of topics and use cases, primarily centered around the domain of household assistance. Hawai‘i Data Collaborative works mostly through partnerships with non-profit, philanthropic and government stakeholders, so this role will necessarily entail collaboration with both internal team members and counterparts in partner organizations.

We are excited to share our latest Data Landscape Report for 2024. Since our last report in 2022, we have partnered with frontline service providers, philanthropic funders, and government stakeholders to address their data challenges by building data capacities for a more insightful and connected data ecosystem. Now in year three of working alongside community partners to build these data capacities, we are releasing this report to highlight the stories of four organizations actively working to transform how they use and share data to improve outcomes for the households they serve, sharing a vision for a thriving data ecosystem.

In this new year, we continue to focus on collaborating with service providers, government agencies, and private sector funders working to support Hawai‘i households in need. While 2023 marks the start of our first official post-Covid year, data from a recent Aloha United Way (AUW) report suggests many who were struggling to get by prior to the pandemic may be faring much worse now. AUW conducted their interim study independently due to the lack of local and current data, as national sources we traditionally relied upon for understanding current household need would take years to access, making it difficult to extract insights and make decisions in a timely manner.

For an issue as important as household well-being, we should not be relying primarily on lagging national data sources. In order for data to be relevant, it needs to be timely. Otherwise, how will it guide our leaders to understand and address the unique challenges of households struggling to get by in Hawai‘i today?