Rent & Mortgage Assistance Fund

If you have experienced a loss in income due to COVID-19, you may be eligible for one-time emergency financial assistance for rent or mortgage up to $2000 per household.

This program is a partnership between HOPE Services Hawai’i and the County of Hawai’i’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and is funded by $188,000 from a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant – Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds. Payments will be made directly to the landlord, bank or mortgage company.

Apply online below or by calling 808-935-3050, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm.

In order to protect our staff and you, there will be NO IN-PERSON APPLICATIONS.

Apply for Assistance Online or via Phone. NO IN PERSON APPLICATIONS, PLEASE

Eligibility:

  1. 18 years of age or older;
  2. Hawaiʻi County resident with government-issued ID. If you do not live on Hawaiʻi Island, your application will not be considered;
  3. Must show decrease in income directly resulting from COVID-19;
  4. Total household income must be at or below 80% Area Median Income (see chart below) at time of application;
  5. Must not have received same benefits for the same period from another organization;
  6. Must not have more than $5,000 in liquid assets (cash, checking & savings accounts, stocks, mutual funds, money market funds, bonds);
  7. Households already receiving federal housing subsidies (Section 8 or Public Housing participants) do not qualify.

Funds are limited therefore the application will be available until resources have been exhausted.

FY 2020 annual Area Median Income (AMI) Low-Income Limit (LIL)

To be eligible, at the time of application your annual income must at or below the Low Income Limit, which is 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI), listed below.

In other words, to qualify, your income must be at or below this level. If your annual income is higher than the level listed for your family size, please do not apply, as your application will not be approved for a grant.
Household/Family Size Low Income Limit
1 46,700
2 53,350
3 60,000
4 66,650
5 72,000
6 77,350
7 82,650
8 88,000

 

Even if you do not qualify for this program, you may be able to get help from Hawaiian Community Assets’ Emergency Resilience Loan Program (apply online or at 808.934.0801), or Ku’ikahi Mediation Center’s Landlord-Tenant Mediation Program (online or at 808-935-7844).

 

How to apply

No need to come into the office for processing.

Please read all instructions, then click the “Apply Now” button at the bottom of this page.

Online

You will need a Google account to access the online application at the bottom of this page. If you do not have a Google account, you may create one for free here. Make sure to save your password and check it often.

Before starting your application, make sure you have all your documents in PDF or image (.jpg, .png) format.

On the phone

Call the HOPE Services office at 808-935-3050, Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm. If you are not able to get through, leave a message, or send an email to RMAP@hopeserviceshawaii.org to request a callback.

Before calling to apply, please have all your documents ready.

Required Documents

  1. Picture ID of head of household to verify age and residency;
  2. 2020 tax return (or 2019 return if 2020 taxes have not been filed);
  3. 1 month of paystubs for all household members and/or public benefit statement (if applicable) prior to March 15, 2020;
  4. 1 month of recent paystubs, public benefit statement (if applicable), or unemployment benefits or evidence that applicant applied for unemployment benefits;
  5. Rental contract or Mortgage statement;
  6. Proof of hardship – documentation showing hardship DUE TO COVID-19. Examples of acceptable documents include (but are not limited to): paystubs showing Pre-COVID vs. current income, unemployment letter, lay off letter, and/or rent or mortgage past due notice;
  7. Most recent bank statement(s) from all accounts;
  8. Lease verification – (For property management companies seeking direct payment to them, we will need an authorization letter from the owner. No need to upload if this does not apply to you.)

Once your application has been reviewed, we will make every effort to contact you by phone or email within 24 hours.

If application is approved, the funds will be mailed directly to the landlord, bank, or mortgage company).

We may request a Form W-9. If our staff asks you to submit Form W-9, you may download it from the IRS here.

Apply Now

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