Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 37, Number 5, 1 May 2020 — Emergency Financial Assistance Grant [ARTICLE]

Emergency Financial Assistance Grant

OHA's Board of Trustees recently approved and awarded $1.66 million ($830,000 eaeh in FY20 and FY21) to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) for an Emergency Financial Assistance (EFA) grant. CNHA was advanced $166,000 in January 2020, to prepare to launeh the grant, whieh has been named the Kahiau Community Assistance Program (KCAP). The grant launched on Febmary 1, 2020. Assistance of up to $1,500 is available to qualified Native Hawaiian applicants for things like rent, mortgage or utility payments. Although the grant was created and awarded to CNHA prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, it's availability could not have been more timely. With so many 'ōiwi furloughed and laid-off, demand for the grant has exceeded expectations, as hundreds have sought this one-time emergency funding to stay afloat in this crisis.