Catholic Charities Hawaii successfully handled millions in COVID-19 rental assistance requests
During the 2020 holidays, while many were taking time off to enjoy the season, a team at Catholic Charities Hawaii worked long days, seven days a week to make sure that Hawaii renters got the assistance they needed during the pandemic.
Led by Stella Wong, vice president for programs, and Jillian Okamoto, division administrator for housing assistance and referral programs, a group of CCH staffers and even more temporary staffing agency hires, set up headquarters at the Hawaii Convention Center. Manning computers and phones, they hurried to process the last of the 12,000 applications they received for rental assistance in Hawaii.