Hawai’i providing state funding to fill gap for 160,000 adults, kids about to lose federal food assistance
With more than 160,000 people in Hawaiʻi expected to soon lose federal food assistance due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, Gov. Josh Green today announced the state will administer $145 million from its general and other funds to ensure Hawai‘i families don’t go hungry and have roofs over their heads.
During a press conference, Green signed executive order 2509 for the new Hawai‘i Food Assistance Program, which will provide $250 for food for each eligible individual who has been a beneficiary of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, known as SNAP, amounting to $42.2 million for the month of November.
“This will help people because we do not have any guarantees right now that the federal government is going to open again this week, next week; we just don’t know,” Green said. “And there are a lot of people who are going to be hungry.”
SNAP assistance, which is about $57 million a month to Hawaiʻi recipients, is expected to be paused beginning Saturday as the government shutdown that began Oct. 1 enters its second month.
Green also announced an overarching program, the Hawai‘i Relief Program, which was launched with $100 million from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Funding, or TANF, to help with up to four months of housing and utility assistance for families with children facing financial hardship.
With $400 million in the TANF fund, Green said the state will administer the program until funds are exhausted.
Joseph Campos, deputy director for the Department of Human Services, said to qualify for the Hawai’i Relief Program, families must have one dependent under the age of 18. This includes pregnant women in their third trimester.
“This emergency support will ensure families remain stable amid this federal disruption,” Campos said.
For more information on this program, visit https://humanservices.hawaii.gov.
Approximately 161,400 people receive SNAP benefits every month. This includes 27,910 families and 62,647 children, Green said. Money will be loaded onto EBT cards on or before Nov. 14, bridging the gap of the loss of federal assistance for the month of November.
A family of five will receive $1,250, while a family of three will get $750.
Green said the state is prepared to re-up support if the shutdown continues into the next month.
“We recognize this isn’t a one-size-fits-all,” Green said. “There will be opportunities to apply for unemployment, and no matter what the federal government does, we’re going to keep these programs in place.”
The State Legislature also has appropriated $2 million through the Department of Human Services to Hawai‘i’s food banks to maintain essential operations and food distribution across every island. The state also is providing $500,000 for the Farms to Families Program that provides locally produced food to families.
“These are challenging times for working families across Hawaiʻi,” Green said. “No one should go hungry or lose stability because of gridlock in Washington. When federal support is paused, Hawaiʻi stands up. We take care of one another and act with urgency and aloha to protect our people.”
Students certified for free meals through SNAP or TANF will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch for the entire school year despite the shutdown — benefitting roughly 39,000 students statewide, according to the Hawaiʻi Department of Education.
Families newly applying for SNAP or experiencing income loss are encouraged to apply for subsidized student meals to ensure no child goes hungry.
For the Hawaiʻi Relief Program, the Department of Human Services has contracted Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi and Maui Economic Opportunity Inc. to administer the program statewide.
Applications opened Oct. 29. Families on Kauaʻi, Oʻahu and Hawaiʻi Island may apply through Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi , while residents of Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi may apply through Maui Economic Opportunity. Families do not need to be SNAP recipients to qualify.
For more information or to apply for the Hawaiʻi Relief Program, visit the appropriate website or call the office on your island. Families seeking help can also contact Aloha United Way’s 211 to be directed to the organizations.
Catholic Charities Hawaiʻi (Kauaʻi, Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi Island)
Phone: 808-521-4357 (press “1” for financial assistance, then “1” for HRP)
Email: hrp.mail@
Website: catholiccharitieshawaii.org/
Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. (Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi)
Phone: 808-243-4357
Email: Housing.utility@meoinc.org
Website: meoinc.org
The state also is expanding its partnership with Aloha United Way, activating 211 with more than 200 volunteers taking calls to help people find out if they are eligible for the Hawai‘i Relief Program, and if they are, how to apply for benefits.
The hotline also can connect families with food, housing, healthcare and social services. The hotline will be staffed 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., including holidays. Text: 877-275-6569 (for deaf or hard of hearing) and for Live Chat: auw211.org.
Act 310 funding — totaling $50 million in grants — will help local nonprofits sustain essential community services during this period.
Additionally, a new State Employee Volunteer Program will allow state workers to volunteer up to eight hours per month through the end of the year to assist nonprofits such as the Hawai‘i Foodbank. A formal memo outlining participation details will be issued to all departments next week.
The Office of Hawaiian Affairs has committed $6.1 million in emergency relief funds to assist Native Hawaiian families experiencing food insecurity, loss of utilities or housing instability.
During the press conference, OHA Chair Kai’ali’i Kahele said: “When news of the hardships caused by the federal government shutdown reached us, our entire OHA ʻohana moved swiftly to respond, not out of charity but of kuleana.”
Kahele said now is not the time for thoughts and prayers alone.
“Now is the time for action and aloha,” he said. “There can be no bystanders in this moment. Everyone who has something to give, whether it’s your time, your talent or treasure, can and must do so now.”
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke’s office is heading up a food drive effort. And starting Monday, her office in Honolulu will be collecting canned goods. The library systems across the state have agreed to collect canned foods as well. Locations will be announced next week.
“We can hope for the federal government to end their shutdown, but we can’t just continue to wait. We have to respond right now,” Luke said.
Senate President Ron Kouchi assured the people of Hawai’i on Thursday that the Senate is working in collaboration with the House of Representatives and the governor’s office to protect the most vulnerable in the community.
“We’re at the beginning of some challenging times,” Kouchi said. “We’ll continue to work to gather to ensure the most successful outcome for Hawai’i families.”
House of Representatives Speaker Nadine Nakamura commended the governor and all those organizations involved in creating a robust response to the loss of federal food funding.
All these programs, the House speaker added, will address the disruption of SNAP funding.
Nakamura, who represents Kaua’i, told the media during the press conference that on Wednesday, the Kaua’i Independent Food Bank prepared 190 bags of food for TSA and USDA workers at the Līhu’e Airport.
“The loss of SNAP benefits, the government shutdown, the federal government’s refusal to use $5 billion in contingency funds is unconscionable,” Nakamura said. “No resident should go hungry in Hawai’i. No child should face malnutrition.”
Nakamura also spoke about Act 310 that the legislature passed, which sets aside $50 million for nonprofits statewide impacted by the loss of federal funds.
“We received 213 applications and $143 million in requests,” Nakamura said.
After the nonprofits have been selected, Nakamura said funding should be available by December.
Amy Miller, president and CEO of Hawai’i Food Bank, said the food banks on O’ahu, Maui and the Big Island are serving about twice as many people before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Before the current crisis, we were already serving far more people than we should,” Miller said. “Right now, one in three households is food insecure.”
Miller said the food banks are working collectively to ramp up distribution across the state so that no one goes hungry.
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