Hawai‘i Relief Program
(TANF Support for Housing and Utility Payments)
Has your income been drastically impacted by the recent economy?
Do you need help with your rent, mortgage, or utilities?
Catholic Charities Hawai‘i, in partnership with the State of Hawai‘i’s Department of Human Services, is offering housing assistance to eligible applicants experiencing financial hardship resulting from an extenuating circumstance.
What is the Hawaiʻi Relief Program?
The Hawaiʻi Relief Program is a new statewide program that provides non-recurring short-term housing, utility, and automobile payments, not to exceed four (4) months, to help families with dependent children who have an episode of financial need resulting from one of the following extenuating circumstances:
- Involuntary loss of employment without cause;
- Involuntary reduction or loss of income without cause;
- Unexpected medical expenses as the result of emergency and life-threatening medical issue not covered by medical insurance;
- Natural disaster (e.g., hurricane, tsunami, volcano eruption, etc.);
- Involuntary loss of public assistance that provide financial support, housing assistance, food security, or utility assistance, as the result of a government shutdown or suspension/termination of a government program; or
- An event that caused a family unit to become homeless, sheltered or unsheltered.
Pursuant to the Governor’s Emergency Proclamation Relating to Homelessness, the Hawaiʻi Relief Program is another initiative developed by the Department of Human Services in an effort to help homeless families secure and maintain stable housing — and to prevent families from becoming homeless.
What type of help can a family receive through the Hawaiʻi Relief Program?
An eligible family may receive help with the following:
- One-time housing deposit, actual cost up to a maximum of $6,000
- Housing payments, actual cost up to the maximum of $6,000, for up to four months
- One-time utility deposit, actual cost up to $3,000 for each utility source (electricity, water, gas)
- Utility payments, actual cost up to the maximum of $2,000, for up to four months
- One-time automobile down payment, actual cost up to $5,000, to purchase an automobile
- Automobile payments, actual cost up to the maximum of $500, for up to four months
What are the eligibility criteria for the Hawaiʻi Relief Program?
The Hawaiʻi Relief Program is targeted at assisting families who are experiencing an episode of financial need and are behind in payments or are unable to pay for their current housing, utility, or automobile payments. A family may be eligible if:
- The family includes an adult specified relative who resides with and has legal custody of a dependent child under the age of 18 years for whom they provide parental care, or a pregnant woman without a dependent child who is in the third trimester of pregnancy;
- All family members are residents of Hawaiʻi;
- There is at least one family member who is a U.S. citizen; a qualified non-citizen; or is a citizen of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, or the Republic of Palau and is lawfully residing in the Hawaiʻi under the Compacts of Free Association (COFA);
- The family’s total gross income is below the eligibility guidelines for the program ;
- The family demonstrates an episode of financial need resulting from an extenuating circumstance; and
- The family has not received other assistance that may duplicate the payments provided through the Hawaiʻi Relief program.
What are the income limits to qualify for payments through the Hawaiʻi Relief Program?
A “family” includes an adult specified relative(s) such as natural and adoptive parents, stepparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc., and their dependent children under the age of 18 years residing in the same housing unit, for whom they are responsible to provide parental care and has legal custody of the children, or a pregnant woman without a dependent child, who is in the third trimester of pregnancy.
Application Information
Applications are now being accepted.
