Hawaii Emergency Laulima Partnership To Provide Assistance To Maui Residents

As COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the US, residents in Hawaii are feeling the pressure more than most. Not only is it one of the most expensive places to live, but the economy relies heavily on tourism which has completely stopped due to mandatory quarantines and stay-at-home orders. Luckily, there are several organizations in Hawaii that have stepped up their efforts to provide for those families most in need during this crisis.

One of those organizations is the Hawaii Emergency Laulima Partnership, or H.E.L.P. whose program provides for essential needs like rent, utilities, food, and other necessities such as personal hygiene and internet. The new H.E.L.P. program on Maui has just recently had an influx of $2 million from the county which they will distribute to the public in the coming weeks. While their assistance may not be able to cover all of the bills, they will be able to ease the financial burden and allow families to continue their lifestyle and provide for their children until this situation begins to resolve. As far as concrete numbers, assistance over a 30 day period can range anywhere from $440 for a family of two to $880 for a family of seven.

Applications are being handled by the Maui Economic Opportunity, Inc. To find more information about the program as well as the application, you can visit the MEO website here. To qualify, Maui residents must show that they have had a 25% or more reduction to their income since March 4th, 2020. In addition, they must also prove that they have less than $5,000 in liquid assets.

Applications are being processed now, and Maui residents can either file the application online or drop the applications off via dropbox at these locations:

• Front parking lot of the MEO office at 99 Mahalani Street, Wailuku
• Front entrance of the Kalana O Maui (County) Building in Wailuku

Photo by Jove Duero on Unsplash

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