Hawaii County will get about $66,000, part of a nearly $500,000 grant to the state for services to families receiving housing assistance.
The grant, from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, is an annual one for which Hawaii County’s Housing Agency applies, Housing Specialist Sharon Hirota said Friday. The money is used for the Section 8 Family Self Sufficiency program, she said.
“It’s an individualized program,” Hirota said. “It’s specialized to the families that participate.”
Families in the program might get help to pursue additional education, or the program might help them address transportation or child care needs, she said.
The funding is awarded annually, and Hawaii County has received it before, Hirota said.
National rules for the funding call for participants to sign a five-year contract requiring the head of household to obtain employment and stop receiving welfare assistance at the end of the five-year term. When the family’s income goes up, some of the increased income is deposited in an interest-bearing escrow account. If the family successfully completes the five-year contract, the family receives that money, to be used for any purpose, federal officials said in their announcement about Hawaii’s grant award.
Hawaii’s four counties and the Hawaii Public Housing Authority received a total of $485,000. The long-term goals of the national program is employment for people receiving government assistance, federal officials said.
“This funding ultimately links individuals to child care, computer access, job training and other basic skills individuals need to compete for jobs that pay a living wage,” HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan said in a release issued Friday. “To continue to grow America’s economy, we must see to it that every American has the skills and resources they need to become gainfully employed.”
HUD Regional Administrator Ophelia Basgal agreed.
“These grants are a win for both the individual grantee and Hawaii families who participate in HUD rental assistance programs,” she said in the release. “The grantee can retain or hire a new employee whose job is to help individuals find employment.”