Catholic Charities Hawaii has been involved with two state rent relief programs for those impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic,

In early September, the State of Hawaii initiated the Rent Relief and Housing Assistance Program (RRHAP) to provide much needed financial help for renters and homeowners severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Catholic Charities Hawaii was given the opportunity to help administer the program funded by the federal CARES Act. In a span of 100 days, Catholic Charities Hawaii and Aloha United Way assisted over 13,000 local households by distributing nearly $60 million in federal CARES Act emergency money for rent and mortgage payments.

This month, Catholic Charities Hawaii was asked to be part of another state rent assistance program. The Rent Assistance and Mediation Program (RAMP) was meant to be a bridge to what is hopefully the next round of additional federal CARES funds for additional rent relief. This $6 million program administered by CCH assists with rental payments of up to two (2) months and up to $1,500 for each month.

Please note that the funds available for this current program covers approximately only 2,000 applicants and the window to apply is already closed. If you are one of those who submitted an application via online or hard copy, we are processing the applications and prioritizing them by area median income (AMI). Please do not call or email to get your application status – RAMP staff will be contacting you.

We are acutely aware of the anxiety and stress in the community during these challenging times, and ask for your patience while we process the applications. Mahalo!