Catholic Charities Hawai‘i to Provide Additional Rent Relief Through New State Assistance Program

Catholic Charities Hawaii and the State of Hawaii announced today the launch of a new rent relief program that will begin accepting applications next week.

The Rent Assistance and Mediation Program (RAMP) will provide assistance for Hawai‘i renters who have experienced a reduction in income because of unemployment or a reduction in work hours due to the COVID-19 pandemic and are at risk of eviction.

The $6 million program, administered by Catholic Charities Hawaii, intends to help tenants avoid eviction by providing rental payments for unpaid rent and mediation services. Rental payments will be considered from January 1, 2021 with a statewide cap of $1,500 per household per month. A maximum of up to two (2) months total of past due and ongoing assistance can be provided.

The program is funded by a portion of the state Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs Office of Consumer Protection settlement monies from Honda Motor Co.

“In dealing with the continual economic fallout from COVID-19, this emergency rental assistance program is meant to keep tenants in their homes and safely sheltered, while ensuring landlords are properly compensated,” said Catholic Charities Hawai’i CEO and president Rob Van Tassell. “With the conclusion of the state’s Rent Relief and Housing Assistance Program (RRHAP), this available funding will be a bridge to other potential rent relief programs involving COVID 19-related federal funding.”

There will be three ways to apply for the program: applying online, downloading an electronic form from our website, or a requested mailed application (see instructions listed below).

Full-time Hawai‘i residents with a valid and current lease agreement of six months or longer for their primary residence in Hawaii must demonstrate a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have a gross household annual income that does not exceed 100% of the HUD Area Median Income for 2020.

Please note that the available funds are estimated to cover approximately 2,000 applications and we expect the demand to be great enough to reach capacity within a week.

“Please take the time to carefully fill out the forms and provide the correction information required,” Van Tassell said. “Doing so, will shorten the time to verify and process your applications. Also, please let your landlord know that you are applying for rental assistance and have their contact information readily available, especially if you are applying online: including his or her name, mailing address, email address, phone number.”

Applicants who have already received funding from the State of Hawai‘i’s recent Rent Relief and Housing Assistance Program (RRHAP) will have to re-apply for RAMP funding. Since this is a different program funding source from the state’s RRHAP, applications from that program will not carry over.

Eligibility

Full-time Hawai‘i residents with a valid and current lease agreement of six months or longer for their primary residence in Hawaii must demonstrate a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic and have a gross household annual

income that does not exceed 100% of the HUD Area Median Income for 2020.

(Please see application for more details.)

Maximum Assistance per Applicant

Monthly 2021 rent payments of up to $1,500 or mediation services of up to $500 per household, statewide, will be made directly to the landlord or mediation agency. Rent payments can be made in lump sum amounts for a maximum of two months. Payment for mediation services will be up to $500 per household.  This program cannot pay for rent that has been paid by tenant or another entity.

How to Apply

To Request an Application Form:

• Requests for an application can be mailed, faxed, and emailed upon request between January 6, 2021 to January 13, 2021.

o   Application requests outside of this timeframe will not be considered

o   Call/mail/fax your local Catholic Charities Hawaii office on Page 2 of this packet or email COVID19help@catholiccharitieshawaii.org, to request an application

• You may also visit our website directly at: www.catholiccharitieshawaii.org, to download an electronic copy or wait for the Online Application link to activate on January 11, 2021 until January 13, 2021 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To submit your completed application:

• Applications will only be accepted within the timeframe below. Please note that the timeframe for an online application versus a hard copy or electronic version are different. Any applications outside of the timeframes posted below will not be considered and discarded.

o   Online Application will be open between January 11, 2021 to January 13, 2021 between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Please do not start your online application at 4:30pm as it may time out

• If applying online, please ensure you have good internet and apply through a desktop computer or laptop as mobile devices may time out

o   Standard mail in applications, fax applications, or email applications, must be post marked or sent between January 11, 2021 – January 18, 2021

If you choose to mail in your application, please mail to: 1822 Keeaumoku St., Honolulu, HI. 96822. Keep in mind that there have been significant mail delays this year. To fax an application, please fax to: 808-527-4439

Application Tips

Please DO NOT send in any other documents with this initial application!  CCH or a partner agency will review your application and contact you if you meet the program qualifications.  At that time, we will request the needed documentation from you.

Important – When completing the application:

• Please let your landlord know that you are applying for rental assistance and have their contact information readily available, especially if you are applying online: Name, mailing address, email address, phone number.

• Please ensure that you double check your email before submitting (@ symbol is present, no spaces, spelling, etc.) as this will be the main mode of notification and communication

• Actively check and monitor the email address you have provided (especially your spam/junk folder) and actively check your voicemail

o   Please ensure that the voicemail on the phone number you list is set up and not full

Application processing:

• We estimate that funds will cover approximately 2,000 applications and that with the demand we will reach capacity in a week

• Applications will be processed on a priority basis with a preference to:

o   Household income is at 50% AMI or below

Applications will be available on the Catholic Charities Hawaii website at: https://www.catholiccharitieshawaii.org

COVID-19 Updates and Information: 12/9/2020

House Leadership and Committee Chair Assignments Released

COVID-19 Updates and Information: 10/13/2020

Link to PDF

State Launches Job Program For Displaced Workers

Nonprofit organizations, the private sector and government have joined together to launch a program using federal CARES Act funding that will support Hawaii’s economy by providing businesses with up to 650 workers who have been displaced in the current economic crisis.

The economic stimulus program is supported by $10 million in federal CARES Act funding that was secured with the help of Hawaii’s Congressional delegation and disbursed locally through an appropriation by the Hawaii State Legislature.

The Department of Business, Economic Development & Tourism (DBEDT) worked with all the partners to pull the program together. DBEDT contracted with Kupu, a conservation and youth education nonprofit, and Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii (EDAH), an economic development nonprofit, to implement this workforce development initiative. There will be two tracks to this program: “Kupu Aina Corps” run by Kupu and “Aloha Connects Innovation” run by EDAH.

The program will match displaced workers with companies in emerging industries and Aloha+ Challenge sectors such as conservation, renewable energy, agriculture, creative arts, aerospace, entrepreneurship, and STEM fields. The Aloha+ Challenge is a statewide commitment to achieve Hawaii’s sustainability goals, and locally driven framework to implement the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The initiative, originally envisioned by Omar Sultan of Sultan Ventures, aims to diversify and strengthen Hawaii’s economy by building a scalable workforce to support the growth of emerging and resilient non-tourism industries. The program will create internship opportunities to provide temporary employment required due to economic injury caused by COVID-19 related business closures, while meaningfully diversifying and strengthening Hawaii’s economy.

The programs’ positions will offer:

• 2-1/2 to 3 months of on-the-job training (to December 15)

• Wages starting at $13-$15 an hour

• Health care benefits

• Introduction and mentoring within the emerging, innovation sectors

• Workforce training

• Ideally, after the on-the-job training, individuals will be hired at the sites they are placed at or within the network of their organization, pursue careers in the emerging, innovation sector, or continue with higher education

Eligible Participants:

• Displaced workers

• Recent college graduates

• Recent high school graduates

Due to the ongoing impact of COVID-19, many tourism-related jobs will likely not be available through 2020. Hawaii’s heavy reliance on tourism means that the local economy will lag behind the national pace of the recovery process, according to DBEDT’s Research and Economic Analysis Division.

Interested participant applicants and companies interested in hosting participants can apply for the innovation track through Economic Development Alliance of Hawaii’s website at www.edahawaii.org and the conservation track through Kupu’s website at www.kupuhawaii.org/ainainnovation.

Link to Full Press Release

Kauai District 14 Lane Closures for the Weekend of September 11 - September 13

KAUAI LANE CLOSURES FOR
THE WEEKEND OF SEPT. 11 – SEPT 13

PLEASE NOTE:

Lane closure schedules may change at any time without further notice. 
All projects are weather permitting.

— KUHIO HIGHWAY (ROUTE 56) —

1) KAPAA (24-HOUR WORK)

Traffic on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) near mile marker 10 is shifted to the temporary Kapaa Stream Bridge 24-hours a day, seven days a week until further notice. For safety during the shift to the temporary bridge, right turns off Kuhio Highway onto Mailihuna Road are not permitted. Access to Kapahi is recommended via the Kawaihau Road or Hauala Road detours.

2) ANAHOLA (NIGHT WORK)

Single lane closure on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in both directions between mile markers 15.5 and 16.7, Papaa Road and Koolau Road, on Sunday evening, September 13, through Tuesday morning, September 15, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., for installation of rumble strip and striping work. Alternating traffic will be routed through the open lane.

3) KILAUEA (NIGHT WORK)

Single lane closure on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in both directions between mile markers 21.5 and 24.4, Wailapa Road and Kahiliholo Road, on Sunday evening, September 13, through Friday morning, September 18, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., for paving work. Alternating traffic will be routed through the open lane.

--- KUAMOO ROAD (ROUTE 580) ---

1) KAPAA

Right lane closure on Kuamoo Road (Route 580) in the southbound direction between Lihau Street and Molo Street, on Saturday, September 12, through Tuesday, September 15, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. for landscape maintenance.

Hawai‘i COVID Collaborative Launches COVID Pau Public Information Initiative

The Hawaiʻi COVID Collaborative launched COVID Pau, a statewide multi-channel communications initiative designed to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Hawaiʻi. Funded up to $1M in cash and in-kind contributions by a hui of private businesses and nonprofit organizations, COVID Pau provides a reliable, actionable data dashboard, expert analysis of data trends, first-person stories to depict the concrete impacts of the disease and resources for residents navigating the health, social and economic challenges of the pandemic.

Led by project director Naʻalehu Anthony, COVID Pau is powered by data-gathering operational support, health, policy and economic analysts, storytellers and communications strategists to ensure accurate, timely and actionable information reaches Hawai‘i residents reliably.

COVID Pau offers:

• A curated data dashboard, built by the Hawai‘i Data Collaborative, showing six metrics that give us the most useful picture of the pandemic’s impact on our public health, infrastructure and economic recovery.

• Expert analysis of the data trends, translating numbers into contextualized information.

• Personal stories of COVID-19 experiences, making the realities of the disease relatable to everyday residents.

• A resource directory, designed for ease of use by people who need to make hard choices because of COVID-19.

Users can visit www.covidpau.org to view daily data updates and weekly video content with expert analysis of trends and new first-person accounts of what it’s like to deal with the disease. COVID Pau invites users to sign up to receive a weekly email update from the initiative and to share their own stories of experience with COVID-19. The initiative encourages collaborators across the islands to take part in making clear, reliable information widely accessible to all the people of Hawai‘i.

Link to Press Release

New Rent Relief & Housing Assistance Program

The State of Hawai‘i’s Rent Relief and Housing Assistance Program provides assistance to Hawai‘i renters who have experienced a reduction in income due to the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and are at risk of eviction.

The program provides help with rent payments, as well as assistance in financial counseling. Funded by the Federal CARES Act, the program is administered by Catholic Charities Hawai‘i and Aloha United Way. Applications for assistance will be accepted for housing payments due between August 1, 2020 and December 28, 2020

For information about the Rent Relief and Housing Assistance Program, visit www.hihousinghelp.com.

New State COVID-19 Online Dashboard Now Available for Public: Information from Multiple Sources in One Location

At an afternoon briefing to legislators, Gov. David Ige and representatives from the Hawai‘i Department of Health and the University of Hawai‘i unveiled a new COVID-19 dashboard for anyone interested in tracking local data associated with the coronavirus pandemic. This dashboard can be accessed at www.hawaiicovid19.com 

The new metrics now available include:  

• ICU bed and ventilator use by COVID patients: total number and % of capacity 

• Occupancy and capacity of Isolation and Quarantine facilities (for those who cannot isolate or quarantine at home) 

• Contact tracing capacity and currently active/trained tracers, by County 

• Testing capacity and turn-around time 

• PPE supplies and distribution 

• Modes of transmission with number of cases and clusters for each 

• Mask-wearing behavior (Honolulu; all islands in process) 

Data for the dashboard is being pulled from multiple sources and will be updated daily or weekly, depending on the sources from which the information is derived. The dashboard will continue to be a collaborative process involving DOH and key partners sharing timely and accurate information with the public.  

The dashboard seeks to inform the community and policy makers on four key action areas essential to stopping the pandemic: 

• Prevention: depicts the impact that individual and community behaviors such as mask wearing and physical distancing on keeping the virus from spreading. Prevention is essential in fighting the pandemic but often the most difficult to track because they largely relate to personal behavior and choices.  

• Detection: depicts how much disease is present in Hawai‘i, the types of activities or venues that are resulting in disease transmission, and whether it is increasing or decreasing and how rapidly. This information allows policy makers to tailor their actions and the public to engage in safe practices. 

• Containment: pulls together various parts of a complicated system to help people understand the status of contact tracing, lab testing results, quarantines, and other disease-limiting measures. These measures, taken together, are an important part of controlling the pandemic. 

• Treatment and health care: shows data on hospital & ICU beds, ventilator use and availability of personal protective equipment (PPE). From this information the public and policy makers can understand how burdened the health care system is, and how prepared it is to manage an influx of COVID-19 patients. 

Kauai Lane Closures for the Week of September 5 - September 11

KAUAI LANE CLOSURES FOR
THE WEEK OF SEPT. 5 – SEPT. 11 

PLEASE NOTE:

Lane closure schedules may change at any time without further notice. 
All projects are weather permitting. 

Kuhio Highway contraflow is in modified hours due to lower COVID volumes.

Monday – Friday: 5:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.

Saturday: No contraflow operations  

— KAUMUALII HIGHWAY (ROUTE 50) —

1) HANAPEPE (NIGHT WORK)

Bridge closure on Kaumualii Highway (Route 50) in both directions between mile markers 16.4 and 16.8, Moi Road and Hana Road, on Tuesday evening, September 8, through Thursday morning, September 10, from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., for bridge improvement work. Alternating traffic will be routed through the open lane.

2) WAIMEA

Single lane closure on Kaumualii Highway (Route 50) in the westbound direction between mile markers 22.8 and 23.2, Ola Road and Huakai Road, on Tuesday, September 8, through Thursday, September 10, from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m., for sewer work. Alternating traffic will be routed through the open lane.

— KUHIO HIGHWAY (ROUTE 56) —

1) KAPAA

Right lane closure on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in the northbound direction near mile marker 6, Papaa Road and Kahiliholo Road, on Monday, September 7, through Friday, September 11, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., for staging of materials for Wailua Bridge work. Alternating traffic will be routed through the open lane.

2)  KAPAA (24-HOUR WORK)

Shoulder closure on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in the southbound direction between mile markers 6 and 6.3, Kuamoo Road and Haleilio Road, on Monday, September 7, through Friday, September 11, 24-hours a day, for archaeological and cultural data recovery.

3) KAPAA (24-HOUR WORK)

Traffic on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) near mile marker 10 is shifted to the temporary Kapaa Stream Bridge 24-hours a day, seven days a week until further notice. For safety during the shift to the temporary bridge, right turns off Kuhio Highway onto Mailihuna Road are not permitted. Access to Kapahi is recommended via the Kawaihau Road or Hauala Road detours.

4) ANAHOLA (NIGHT WORK)

Single lane closure on Kuhio Highway (Route 56) in both directions between mile markers 15.5 and 16.7, Kuamoo Road, on Tuesday evening, September 8, through Friday morning, September 11, from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., for installation of rumble strip and striping work. Alternating traffic will be routed through the open lane.

— KAWAIHAU ROAD (ROUTE 5860) —

1)  KAPAA

Right lane closure on Kawaihau Road (Route 5860) in both directions near mile marker 0.0, Kawaihau Road and Kuhio Highway, on Wednesday, September 9, through Friday, September 11, from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., for landscape maintenance.