(AP) — Hawaiʻi’s Department of Human Services has cut welfare payments to thousands of the state’s most vulnerable residents this month as reserve funds have diminished amid an increased demand for aid. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported on Sunday that this month the state started to reduce payments by one-third to adults with physical or mental disabilities that prevent them from working. The cuts mean about 6,700 residents will have their monthly payments reduced from $388 a month to $260 per month. Social service agencies in the state have said that many of the program’s recipients are homeless or on the brink of homelessness and that the payments help with their basic needs.

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