Kauai Set To Receive More Than $350,000 To Help Renters Who Lost Income Due To Pandemic

HONOLULU — Today, U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawai‘i) announced that the Kauai County Housing Agency will receive $352,924 in federal funding to support the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. These funds will help support rental assistance programs for current voucher holders who lost their job or saw a significant reduction in income due to the pandemic.

“This federal grant will help those who have lost their job or had their hours cut make rent,” said Senator Schatz, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. “During this tough time, we’ll keep working to deliver more relief to help both renters and landlords avoid falling into debt.”

The HCV program helps very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market. Approximately 700 households rely on Section 8 housing on Kauai.

Before the pandemic, HCV voucher holders were required to pay 30 percent of their income towards rent, and the voucher covered the difference. Under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, tenants affected by the pandemic can pay less than 30 percent toward rent and this new funding for the HCV program will offset the difference.

This grant follows the $1.8 million the state of Hawai‘i received to support the HCV program earlier this month. 

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