Aloha United Way has created a clearinghouse of resources for federal workers affected by the government shutdown.

AUW’s free, confidential 211 hotline will connect those workers to businesses and nonprofits that are offering assistance in the forms of food, financial aid and more. Banks, utilities, phone companies, mortgage providers and mental health counselors are among those offering help.

Already, 48 percent of Hawaii residents live paycheck to paycheck, said AUW Chief Operating Officer Norm Baker, adding that this is compounded by federal workers who will be missing a month’s worth of pay as of today.

“We’ve got thousands of folks out there that are really going to be in strife the next couple of months. We have assistance available for them, but one of the real problems is that they don’t know where to go to get the help,” he said.

The referral service has already fielded at least 15 calls from federal workers.

The most recent calls include a Transportation Security Administration worker who could not afford to feed her 15 dogs. She was referred to the Hawaiian Humane Society’s pet food bank. Another TSA employee, in need of food for her family of nine, was directed to a number of food pantries in her area. The help line also referred some workers to organizations that help with child care expenses, employment serv­ices and short-term loans.

“We have learned of many programs … willing to work with federal employees,” Baker said. “It’s important for people not to wait until they get into so much difficulty that it’s going to be much more difficult to recover.”

The hotline is available 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday and is online at auw211.org, with interpreter services in 150 languages.