Office of Hawaiian Affairs sets aside $6.1 million for emergency relief amid federal government shutdown

The Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees approved $6.1 million in emergency funding for Native Hawaiian beneficiaries impacted by the shutdown of the federal government and the potential suspension of food assistance on Nov. 1.

The board met during an emergency session on Monday and directed the administration to work out details of the benefits program, including determining eligibility requirements and potential partnerships.

It’s estimated that 47,000 Native Hawaiians receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (commonly referred to as SNAP) benefits, according to a press release from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. The average monthly SNAP benefit amount in Hawaiʻi is about $409 per person and $757 per household.

“These are unsettling times, and our beneficiaries are feeling it most,” said OHA Board of Trustees Chairperson Kaialiʻi Kahele. “Families are missing paychecks, losing benefits, and facing impossible choices about how to feed their ʻohana. OHA will not wait on the sidelines — we are taking immediate action to help our people through this crisis.”

OHA Interim Administrator Summer Sylva said the office will develop a program to sort out who qualifies and how benefits will be distributed. She will report back to trustees on the funding program during their scheduled meeting on Nov. 6 in Hilo.

“In this time of uncertainty, OHA is stepping forward to take care of our people, because that’s exactly what this trust was created to do,” Sylva said.

Hawaiʻi is home to approximately 24,600 civilian federal employees. While the precise number of Native Hawaiians within that workforce are not known, estimates place it at just under 5,000.