Dear Mr. Geminiani,

Thank you for the timely submission of the State Planning Report for the State of Hawaii. We at the Office of Program Performance have had an opportunity to review the Report and would like to provide a few comments at this time.

Your Report provides an excellent description of the state planning process in Hawaii, formally begun in 1995 and continuing into the present. The Report describes the various activities and strategies that have already been implemented and others that are planned or under consideration. We commend you for employing a process that has been inclusive and participatory, and for recognizing that planning is not a one-time activity but rather is a continuous, forward-looking process. It is apparent that the leadership of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii (LASH) has been instrumental in advancing the commitment of others in your state's legal community to addressing the statewide legal needs of the poor, and in developing innovative strategies to be implemented in your program and, in some instances, which serve as the model for statewide systems. Planning as described in the Report, while focusing on LASH as the primary provider, has involved a wide variety of partners. The close association of the various participants in planning and delivery clearly has focused attention on the strategic use of available and potential resources and has increased consultation and coordination among participants.

LASH has a well-deserved reputation in the legal services community as an innovator in the development of centralized telephone intake and delivery systems. LASH has successfully integrated its ISLANS hotline system with its brief and full service components and is in the process of planning the expansion of this system to include other legal providers and social services agencies in one coordinated, statewide system. We will be interested in how LASH will attempt to accomplish this integration and in learning from, and sharing with other programs, the results of LASH's efforts.

The Report's discussion of technology reflects a high level of organization and planning within LASH. There is also mention of coordination with other providers on the intake system and LASH's web page. As you are aware, the development of a statewide intake system also has the potential to lead to the use of the same case management software and e-mail programs for both legal services and other legal providers, including the State Bar, thus facilitating communication among the providers and increasing the ability to refer clients and to work jointly with others across program boundaries.

The Report describes how LASH has taken the lead in researching, planning (with the Courts and others), and implementing a self-help center, the Center for Equal Justice, which will expand client access to the courts and enhance self-help opportunities, and is attempting to increase collaboration with other providers in these efforts. The Center for Equal Justice employs a variety of options designed to cater to different skill and needs levels and is linked to community services, and includes stated goals and performance measurements. As noted in the Report, this effort has the promise of being a national and local model for delivery of self-help services. LASH is to be commended for its innovation and leadership.

The Report describes LASH's coordination of training and support within the program, and mentions monthly seminars for attorneys in conjunction with the Bar, although there is limited discussion of coordination of legal work with other providers who may also be involved with issues of concern to low-income Hawaiians. The Report does describe some coordination of private attorney involvement efforts. Finally, LASH has organized a coalition of legal services providers that has resulted in an expanded and diversified funding base for civil legal services in Hawaii.

The Corporation congratulates the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii on its achievements over many years and on its leadership in planning efforts as part of a statewide process. We look forward to working with you over the next year as you continue to expand access and provide high quality legal services to low-income Hawaiians. We would appreciate your keeping us posted on your achievements, successes, obstacles encountered, new strategies, and the like, and request that you submit a brief status report on your efforts and progress on or before March 1, 2000.