Living in Hawaii? Need assistance to pay your rent or mortgage? There are non-profits, and state agencies in Hawaii that run housing assistance programs to help you with your troubling situation. These programs are mostly designed for the low-income, disabled, and seniors in the community. Keep reading this article for more details.
State Homeless Emergency Grants Program
The purpose of the State Homeless Emergency Grants Program is to provide services that are geared towards ending homelessness in Hawaii. The program’s assistance is mainly available to families who are experiencing homelessness or those at risk of becoming homeless. Whether you a sheltered or a homeless family, the program got you covered. Your family income must be at or below 50% of the Area Median Income. The program provides homeless families with services, including medical, housing, and help with utility costs, rental assistance, and any other emergency needs. To qualify, your family must demonstrate the emergency need for assistance. That is, you must be either facing eviction or your financial situation is the direct barrier towards achieving stability in permanent housing. Other program services include transportation and referrals to public assistance programs for further support. Find out more at https://www.hud.gov/states/hawaii/homeless/shelters.
Housing Placement Program
Funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Housing Placement Program assists TANF participants facing homelessness or at risk of experiencing the situation. Your income must be below 300% of the Federal Poverty Line. What does the program do to support homeless families? The program conduct client assessment connects participants to appropriate landlords and solves disputes between renters and property owners. The focus is for families to get out of their hopeless situation, get back to their community, and achieve stability and self-sufficiency. The program provides case management services to foster good relations between landlords and tenants. The program can help with rent, security deposits, and support families in paying utility bills. with this program, you can increase your income and finally become a homeowner. Visit https://hopeserviceshawaii.org/services/housing/#:~:text=TANF%20Housing%20Placement%20Program,from%20homelessness%20to%20permanent%20housing. for more details.
State Homeless Outreach Program
The State Homeless Outreach provides housing support to unsheltered homeless families. The program connects its participants with emergency shelter, permanent housing, and other resources to help them achieve stability in the community. They help families to achieve rapid re-housing and help them locate and access the available options. To help families quickly transition into permanent housing, the program offers legal support to qualified participants. The program also helps participants obtain the necessary documents for other housing resources’ application. The program’s staff help families come up with an appropriate financial plan that fits their needs. Find out more at https://homelessness.hawaii.gov/outreach-programs/.
State Homeless Shelter Program
The State Homeless Shelter Program is managed by 19 local agencies; 12 emergency shelters and 21 transitional shelters. The purpose of the program is to provide emergency or transitional shelter to low-income families to enable them to regain stability in housing. The program also works to help families achieve and retain permanent housing and attain self-sufficiency. The program provides other services, including referrals to other community resources and support to help families prevent eviction. Through this program, you can grow your income and become a homeowner, develop proper financial plans that meet your family’s needs and obtain the necessary documents for housing resources. Find agencies for the State Homeless Shelter program at http://www.asihawaii.org/.
State Homeless Rapid Re-Housing Program
The program provides support to the homeless or families at risk of facing homelessness. The program is designed for both shelters and unsheltered homeless individuals and households. It assists families in finding the available options for housing in the community and refer them to appropriate resources. The program is managed by 8 agencies in Hawaii that provide facilities for move-in and rental support. The program also provides case management services, eviction prevention, and helps families avoid becoming homeless. The focus is to help families gain stability in the community. Find out more at https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/bessd/home/hp/homeless-programs/.
State Homeless Permanent Supportive Housing / Housing First Program
The State Homeless Permanent Supportive Housing program is designed to help chronically homeless families and those in the process of regaining recovery and stability. How does the program help? The program provides secure permanent housing and the necessary support to help families maintain their housing. The focus is to reduce homelessness in Hawaii by providing support services, such as case management, referrals to community resources, and permanent housing. Find out more at https://homelessness.hawaii.gov/housing/.
Continuum of Care (CoC) Homeless Assistance Program
The purpose of this program is to provide housing placement to homeless persons, along with rental subsidies to make housing affordable to them. The program services include case management, job training, rental assistance, drug abuse counseling, and supporting families to transition to other housing units. The program manages and updates the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). Read more about the program at https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/coc/.
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA)
The Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program is a federally funded program that is administered by one agency. Other local housing authorities help to run the program activities to ensure housing demands of people living with HIV/AIDS are addressed. Services include help with security deposits and rent subsidies for homeless individuals living with AIDS. The program also provides case management and mentoring services to help affected families regain stability and self-sufficiency. Did you know that this HOPWA is also available to help with mortgage and utility assistance which is designed to prevent homelessness among this group? Apply at http://www.mauiaids.org/.
Emergency Solutions Grant Program
The Emergency Solutions Grant Program is also federally funded and is run by 5 housing agencies. The program maintains eight shelters that are designed to provide short-term housing to homeless individuals and families. The program funds are sued to provide emergency shelters and financial support services geared towards preventing homelessness among families at risk of facing the situation. the program also provides supportive services, including rapid re-housing to ensure the individuals and families achieve stability in the community. Find out more at http://www.childandfamilyservice.org/.
The Hawaii Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program
The Section 8 Housing Program is designed to help families live in safe and decent housing that is affordable. How does this program work? The applicants choose where to live. It can be a townhouse, a single-family home, or a rental apartment. The housing unit should meet the quality standards set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). You have to meet the income eligibility and citizenship requirements to qualify for the program assistance. Your family income must not exceed the low-income limits. The Public Housing Authorities (PHAs) manages this program at the local level. The PHAs process applications and determines who qualifies for rental assistance. The PHAs conduct a criminal background check on all applicants. If you have been convicted for a sexual offense or drug abuse in the past, you may not be eligible for the program assistance. Once you qualify for the program support, your local PHA will place you on a waiting list. You will receive rental assistance when you reach the top of the list. Although, the program assistance depends upon the availability of funds and certain priorities given to some individuals. The program participants pay 30% 0r 40% of their income as rent while the program funds cover the rest of the arrears. The payment assistance, which is in form of housing vouchers is directly given to the landlords on behalf of the tenant. For more detail about the program, please visit https://www.hud.gov/states/hawaii/renting.
Hawaii Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
The Hawaii LIHEAP helps families who earn income below the federal poverty line pay for their home energy costs. The goal of the program is to keep families out of the harsh weather and improve energy efficiency in homes. The funds are given to the energy service providers of qualified families. The program also provides weatherization and crisis intervention support to families in need. The crisis support is designed for families experiencing heating emergencies including threats of disconnections from the energy source. Having inoperable heating/cooling equipment? Well, the program provides replacement/repair tools for heating to families with inoperable equipment. Who qualifies for the program assistance? You must be a U.S. citizen, a resident of Hawaii State, and meet the income eligibility requirements. For more details, please visit https://humanservices.hawaii.gov/bessd/liheap/.
USDA’s Single-Family Housing Direct Home Loans in Hawaii
The program provides direct loans to low-income families to enable families to obtain quality housing in the USDA-eligible areas. The program provides payment assistance to improve the repayment ability of the applicants. The financial support help families reduce mortgage payment for some time. You must demonstrate the need for financial support, prove inability to obtain a loan from other programs, occupy the house as your primary residence, meet citizenship, and income requirements to qualify for assistance. the loans are repayable over 33 years but when you resell or change the ownership of the property, you pay a portion or all of the payment subsidy. For the extremely low-income families, you can make repayment after 38 years. The families can use the funds to repair or renovate their homes and upgrade systems. For more details, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-direct-home-loans/hi_wp.