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Oahu rental, utility relief program reopens next week

The City and County of Honolulu’s Rental and Utility Relief Program will temporarily reopen for new applications next week.

The program, which offers up to six months of rent and utility help for eligible renters, will accept 2,000 more applications, starting at 2 p.m. next Tuesday at revitalizeoahu.org/renthelp.

Only new applicants will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.

“The Rental and Utility Relief Program has played a significant role not just in our administration’s housing strategy, but in the lives of countless Oahu residents who have been able to stay safely housed during some of our island’s darkest times,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi in a news release. “Together, we have been able to keep thousands of rental units at affordable rates and help struggling renters stay housed for the long-term with Housing Stabilization Services.”

The city is working in partnership with Catholic Charities Hawaii and the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, which can be contacted for additional assistance starting 2 p.m. next Tuesday.

Several community events will also be held across the island this summer to help people enroll for the program in person, including from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 19 at the Nanakuli Public Library.

Since its launch in April 2021, the program has provided more than 16,000 Oahu families struggling with housing expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic with roughly $216 million in federal funds.

The latest applications will be funded by $25 million in state and local fiscal recovery funds approved by the Honolulu City Council in February.

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