LIHUE, Hawaii–More than 700 households and more than $150,000 in rental assistance had been deployed at the end of the first week of Kauai’s 2021 Coronavirus Rental and Utility Assistance (CRUA) Program, in which Kauai Government Employees FCU is the administrator.
In addition, utility assistance payments are to begin this week, and payments will be made directly to utility companies on behalf of account holders. Currently, the request for utility assistance is approximately $282,000, with arrears in electric bills comprising the largest area of need.
KGEFCU said it is working directly with Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, KauaiDepartment of Water, Hawai‘i Gas, and the Department of Wastewater Managementto address arrears.
The program is proving to be popular, according to the credit union.
“We appreciate the public's patience as we process these applications, field countless phone calls, answer emails and reach out to applicants,” said KGEFCU Community Development Officer Dana Hazelton. “We hear your need for help, and we have dedicated staff to assist both tenants and landlords with applications. Providingcurrent and correct landlord contact information is necessary to process yourapplication promptly.”
Government Agencies Involved
Administered by KGEFCU in partnership with the County of Kauai, Kupa‘a Kaua‘i,and the Kaua‘i County Housing Agency, the Coronavirus Rental and Utility Assistance program provides relief solely to Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau residents for assistance in the payment of rent and utility arrears and up to three months offuture rent, covering 12 months from March 2020 until December 2021, or untilfunds are exhausted.
The 2021 CRUA program is being deployed in collaboration with Kaua‘i’s publiclibrary system, with the library offering free computer access to the community toaccess the CRUA online application. KGEFCU is grateful to all the librarians on the front lines assisting applicants with the CRUA program.
A Note of Thanks
Kaua‘i Government Employees FCU issued a statement thanking Kaua‘i CountyHousing Agency for coordinating volunteers who are donating their time to work with the public and Kaua‘i’s affordable housing property managers to assist tenants with the required documentation.
“We understand this can be a tremendous amount of additional work on theirbehalf,” added Hazelton, “and we recognize and appreciate their time and energy inassisting their tenants.”