A new $100 million state program is offering rent and utility payment assistance to Hawaii residents with children facing financial instability as federal food aid for almost 170,000 people statewide is scheduled for suspension Saturday.
The state began accepting applications for the Hawai‘i Relief Program on Wednesday, after Gov. Josh Green announced the project using federal funding held by the state.
To participate, households need to meet certain requirements but don’t have to be currently receiving federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, which are slated to cease Saturday in connection with the federal government shutdown.
Some of the thousands of federal employees in Hawaii going unpaid during the shutdown have been lining up at island food banks, and potentially could qualify for the new program along with others.
“These are challenging times for working families across Hawaii,” Green said in a statement. “No one should go hungry or lose stability because of gridlock in Washington, D.C. Our administration, together with the Hawaii State Legislature, the Department of Human Services, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Department of Education and community partners — is stepping up to ensure everyone in Hawaii has access to food and essential aid during this federal shutdown.”
Requirements to participate in the new program include having at least one dependent child under age 18 in the family, meeting low-income eligibility guidelines and being in a “financial crisis or an episode of need.”
A financial crisis or episode of need exists when there is financial instability due to an unexpected event — such as a furlough, layoff, SNAP benefit loss, medical emergency or natural disaster — in the household that also is either homeless or faces an impending eviction or disconnection of a utility service due to payment delinquency, according to DHS.
The program will offer up to four months of rent and utility costs similar to the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program administered by the state, but is separate from the ongoing TANF cash assistance benefits program and has a different application process, eligibility criteria and requirements.
The $100 million for the new program is coming from a federal TANF funding reserve held by the state.
Suspending SNAP funding in Hawaii means that about $59 million a month in benefits won’t be delivered to recipients and spent in grocery stores.
Green also plans to provide the Hawai’i Foodbank with $2 million from the budget of DHS. The food bank will then distribute the money to partner food banks on Kauai, Maui and the Hawaii island Food Basket.
The new Hawai‘i Relief Program is being administered for the state by two nonprofit organizations — Catholic Charities Hawai‘i for households on Oahu, Hawaii island and Kauai, and Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. for households on Maui, Molokai and Lanai.
Scott Morishige, administrator of the Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division at DHS, told a state House of Representatives committee on Wednesday that benefits from the new program can be much greater than what families receive from SNAP monthly.
The average SNAP benefit per person in Hawaii was $347 in September, according to Morishige, who said 168,947 people received benefits that month and were part of an average household size of two people.
Monthly benefits under the new program, which is limited to four months, include up to $6,000 for rent or mortgage payments and up to $2,000 for utility payments in addition to one-time deposits of up to $6,000 for housing and $3,000 for utility service.
“So there’s potentially a deep level of assistance that can be provided,” Morishige told members of the House Committee on Human Services and Homelessness. “Although the Hawai‘i Relief Program doesn’t provide direct support for food, it is helping families by targeting housing, which is the largest expense that local families struggle with, freeing up their budget so that they are able to better meet their food needs. …”
The income limit to qualify is 300% of the federal poverty level, which is higher than the limit for SNAP and equates to annual gross income of $72,960 for a two-person household and more for larger families.
The income limit per month for a two-person household is $6,080, which Morishige said could enable unpaid federal workers to qualify.
“The program is providing relief to a broader net of people,” he said.
Rep. Diamond Garcia (R, Ewa-Kapolei) expressed concern for seniors aided by SNAP. “What happens to kupuna?” he asked Morishige. “Are seniors who are going to lose SNAP due to the shutdown — do they qualify in this Hawai‘i Relief Program?”
Morishige said they don’t, unless a senior has a dependent child under age 18 and meets other requirements, because use of the funding is subject to TANF eligibility parameters.
Rep. Della Au Belatti (D, Makiki-Punchbowl) wanted to know if DHS may be running afoul of federal regulations for using TANF funding.
Morishige said DHS has written guidance from officials in the Trump Administration for the use, and that the use is consistent with regulations the state also previously applied to provide up to four months of special financial assistance to people displaced by the 2023 Maui wildfire disaster.
On Tuesday, two state senators expressed dismay that Green isn’t seeking to dip into the state’s $1.5 billion rainy day fund to replace SNAP benefits for Hawaii residents, including those without children. Use of the state’s emergency fund would require approval by the Legislature, which would need to convene a special session to provide such funding before lawmakers reconvene in January.
Rep. Lisa Marten, chair of the Human Services and Homelessness committee, noted that the House still has Nov. 17 reserved for a potential special session and asked DHS to be prepared to roll out a SNAP replacement program if the Legislature reconvenes and appropriates funding.
“We would really like you to work on that,” said Marten (D, Kailua-Lanikai-Waimanalo).
Source: The Garden Island
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