Question: Regarding public benefits (808ne.ws/312kline), please provide more information about the “no interest” loans,” including who would qualify for that benefit.
Answer: Honolulu’s Department of Community Services offers zero-interest loans for Oahu homeowner-occupants or prospective homeowner-occupants with low to moderate incomes, through its Community Assistance Division. Here is a summary of active programs, from the DCS website and brochures and applications for the programs. Find more details at 808ne.ws/3TCuB7R, including income limits for household sizes from one to 10. Or follow the links from the DCS home page, honolulu.gov/dcs.
>> Rehabilitation Loan Program: This program provides zero-interest loans to Oahu owner-occupants with household incomes up to 80% of Oahu median income, which is currently $73,400 for a one-person household or $104,800 for a household of four.
Depending on the equity in the property, loans of up to $300,000 (or possibly more) can be used to repair homes to meet basic quality standards, such as fixing termite damage or wood rot, faulty electrical wiring and plumbing, a failing roof, peeling paint or other deteriorated and hazardous conditions. Making the house accessible for a disabled household member is allowed, as is installing or replacing certain photovoltaic systems and other energy-saving devices. This loan program is not for emergency repairs and/or remodeling upgrades. The approval process might take a year or more, and does not include obtaining a building permit. The loan term is 15 or 20 years. The loan is secured by a mortgage on the property.
>> First-time Homebuyer Down-Payment Loan Program: This program provides zero-interest loans of up to $40,000 to help low- to moderate-income Oahu residents make the down payment they need to qualify for a mortgage to purchase their first home, which they must occupy. The income limits are the same as for the previously mentioned program. The loan term is 20 years. Applicants must complete a city-approved homeowner education course before their application will be considered.
The division also offers Disaster Assistance Loans, for residential repairs of Oahu homes damaged in a declared disaster. “Funds are used only to correct unsafe or unhealthy conditions caused by a disaster, and used only after FEMA, state, or insurance coverage are applied,” according to the website, which does not list other eligibility requirements.
Q: Would you be able to answer how much a parent can gift children in one year?
A: The federal gift tax exclusion for 2024 is $18,000, according to the Internal Revenue Service. “The annual exclusion applies to gifts to each donee. In other words, if you give each of your children $18,000 in 2024, the annual exclusion applies to each gift,” it says. Read more at 808ne.ws/3PJTopp.
Auwe
Auwe to the girl who walks her dog by my house in the evenings and doesn’t pick up after her dog. So every morning I have to go and clean up her dog’s waste. She walks her dog past my bedtime, so I have never seen her. But the guys across the street who smoke their cigarettes by the pedestrian overpass see her, and see her dog doing its business and her not cleaning it up. The building that the smokers live in provides free dog-waste bags, so she has no excuses. — A reader
Mahalo
My car recently broke down in the Aina Haina Shopping Center. It was blocking the driveway until the tow truck could take it away and couldn’t move. I’d like to send out a big mahalo to all the people who offered to help me move my car. Also, a big mahalo to all the motorists. I was causing quite a bit of traffic, and everyone was very patient and kind. It was a very stressful situation, but you all made it much easier and renewed my faith in humanity. Thank you all! — Broken-down minivan driver
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
