Use of Honolulu’s $500 ‘City Card’ relief effort extended through Tuesday
JAMM AQUINO / DEC. 9
Honolulu Hale in downtown Honolulu is lit up for the holidays. The City and County of Honolulu has extended the use of its $500 “City Card” for disadvantaged families by two days to Tuesday at 11:59 p.m.
The City and County of Honolulu has extended the use of its $500 “City Card” for disadvantaged families by two days to Tuesday at 11:59 p.m. with only 2,124 of 3,724 of the debit cards so far activated.
City Cards must be activated to use. To activate a card, visit oneoahu.org/city-card or call the activation hotline at (877) 827-7727 or (800) 342-7374 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Hawaii time.
City spokesman Alexander Zannes said the City Card is part of the county’s strategy to help people in need during the coronavirus pandemic. The cards had been due to expire at 11:59 p.m. tonight.
“People with a City Card now have more time to use it to buy food and household essentials,” he said in a release.
“We encourage everyone with a City Card to spend it completely at grocery stores and convenience stores on Oahu. Purchases of alcohol, tobacco products, gift cards, or bus passes are not allowed with a City Card,” Zannes said.
The cards were mailed to those who are already participating in the city’s Household Hardship Relief Fund, a program that offers them up to $2,000 a month for rent, mortgage, child care and some utilities. They are also being sent to up to 2,000 additional families and individuals who participate in other city-sponsored financial hardship programs.
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About $3 million in federal CARES Act funds is being used for the new program, Mayor Kirk Caldwell said previously.
