KAPA‘A — Families enjoying the shade of the Bryan J. Baptiste Sports Park parking lot were not aware that a handful of people from the Kaua‘i Government Employees Federal Credit Union were providing in-person assistance for the County of Kaua‘i’s 2021 Coronavirus Rental and Utility Assistance, or CRUA Program, Wednesday.
“I didn’t realize it covered utilities,” said one of the ladies in the group described as “The Mothers’ Club.”
“We have a mortgage so we thought we didn’t qualify,” she said.” But, the cost of utilities is so high, and with the COVID-19 relief programs disappearing, it’s hard to balance whether to pay the utilities or get food for the family. I’m going to check it out, if not for me, for my in-laws.”
A team from the KGEFCU set up shop at the Kapa‘a Skate Park Pavilion as an outreach for CRUA and for people that do not have access to computers or the internet.
The team returns today, shifting hours from 4 to 7 p.m., in an effort at being available to people coming off work.
“We encourage all residents who are struggling with rent and utility payments to apply for this program,” said Adam Roversi, the county’s Housing Agency director. “We are doing all we can to make this process as seamless as possible.”
Roversi also reminded people that the Centers for Disease Control’s recent eviction moratorium and the utility companies’ disconnection are just temporary, and will expire.
The Department of Water Billing Services reports 262 delinquent accounts resulting in approximately $193,000 in past due payments owed the DOW, some of the delinquent accounts occurring prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
DOW is encouraging its customers to apply for utility bill payment assistance through the CRUA to avoid a water service shutoff for non-payment. The Department of Water deferred water service shutdown for non-payment starting in March 2020 due to the pandemic. It resumed collections procedures starting last week on Sept. 1.
CRUA is designed to support individuals and families to cover essential costs of living expenses as the economy recovers in the aftermath of the pandemic, states a release from the county.
Eligible expenses include rental arrears, future rent, and utilities in arrears for the period starting March 2020 through December 2021.
Funding will be limited to households’ primary residence on Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau. Households will be limited to 12 months of grant assistance. It does not provide mortgage assistance.
Since applications started flowing on May 10, CRUA has reached nearly 800 families with about $8 million in rental and utility assistance, said Bonnie Howard, the KGEFCU site supervisor.
“This is not just short-term,” Howard said. “We have a lot more funds available, and the programs cover through the end of December. We want as many people as possible to benefit from CRUA.”
A good starting point for people who have access to computers and the Internet is to visit www.kauairenthelp.com/home where information, Frequently Asked Questions, and application forms are available. Additionally, a list of needed documents for the in-person assistance sites is available for people to have ready when visiting the in-person site.
An additional in-person assistance event will be held Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Ho‘omana Thrift Store in Wailua from 2 to 5 p.m.
