HONOLULU (Nov. 22, 2019) – OHA announced today the selection of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement (CNHA) to administer a $1.66-million grant to provide emergency financial assistance to low-income Native Hawaiians statewide.
“We are proud to partner with CNHA to provide critical kōkua to our beneficiaries who are in the most need,” said OHA Board Chair Colette Machado. “So many of our beneficiaries are scraping to get by. For many, all it takes is one missed paycheck, one unexpected health scare, one unfortunate accident to push them to the streets. This grant will provide funding to help those individuals cope with these emergencies and stay in their homes.”
The purpose of the Emergency Financial Assistance grant is to support OHA’s Strategic Priority of Economic Self-Sufficiency. The grant is intended to assist Native Hawaiians statewide, whose incomes are at or below 300 percent of Hawaiʻi Federal Poverty Guidelines, to address unexpected crises, such as loss of income, loss of employment by layoff, debilitating illness or injury or other unanticipated circumstances. With this grant, CNHA will provide qualified individuals and families with emergency funding to stabilize their situation.
The grant will also provide financial literacy counseling, case management services and referrals to other service providers to help Native Hawaiians get on a path to long-term economic stability. CNHA plans to partner with Hawaiian Community Assets and Solutions Pacific to provide comprehensive statewide coverage. The two-year grant period begins January 1, 2020 and ends December 31, 2021.
For more information about the grant, including the solicitation, online application and orientation schedule, please visit oha.org/grants.
