County to Host Meetings on Rent, Utility Assistance Grants

The County of Hawai‘i and seven local nonprofits announced that they will be hosting a series of meetings with community and business leaders on a plan to provide $21 million in rent and utility assistance grants to residents impacted by COVID-19.

Meetings will be hosted virtually by Hawai‘i Community Lending and the Office of Housing and Community Development from April 20 through April 29. A schedule is available below.

The meetings will present current data from the Hawai‘i County Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) along with the plan for deploying all rent and utility assistance funds by Dec. 31, 2021. Presentations will be followed by discussions with invited leaders and directors from the six nonprofit partners administering the program with the goal of forming multi-sector partnerships that will help reach Island residents in need.

Hawai‘i Community Lending on April 12 joined with Hawaii First Federal Credit Union, HOPE Services Hawai‘i, Habitat for Humanity Hawai‘i Island, Neighborhood Place of Puna, Hawai‘i County Economic Opportunity Council, and The Salvation Army to launch the ERAP and open applications through the nonprofit partners. The County of Hawai‘i has funded the collaborative effort with $23 million in Federal funding.

To qualify for rent and utility grants, applicants must be Hawai‘i Island residents, at least 18 years old, and have lost income due to COVID-19. Applicant households must earn below the maximum annual income limit to receive funding.

Priority will be given to households at or below 50% area median income and with household members who have been unemployed for 90 days or more. To learn more, visit: www.HawaiiCountyERAP.org.

Invitations will be sent, and community and business leaders are encouraged to register below to attend. Meetings will be open to the public. All meetings will be recorded and placed on the Hawai‘i County ERAP website for later viewing.

The schedule of Community and Business Leader meetings is as follows:
 Tuesday, April 20, 5-6 pm: Landlords/Property Managers/Utility Companies
 Wednesday, April 21, 5-6 pm: Businesses and Employers
 Thursday, April 22, 12-1 pm: Nonprofits
 Tuesday, April 27, 5-6 pm: General Community
 Wednesday, April 28, 12-1 pm: Nonprofits
 Thursday, April 29, 5-6 pm: General Community

If you are interested in registering for a community and business leader meeting, email the Hawai‘i County ERAP Coordinator, Maile Lavea-Malloe, at maile@hawaiiancommunity.net.