Honolulu Board of REALTORS® Grants $60,000 in Rental Relief for O‘ahu Families
Funds will be distributed by three nonprofits helping families with housing costs amid the COVID-19 crisis
HONOLULU – The Honolulu Board of REALTORS® granted $60,000 from its REALTORS® Care Fund to help O‘ahu families struggling to pay rent amid the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three nonprofits will each receive $20,000 to distribute to families in need through their financial assistance programs for rental assistance.
“We understand many families are facing financial hardship and worrying if they are going to have a roof over their heads,” said Tricia Nekota, president of the Honolulu Board of REALTORS®. “As REALTORS®, supporting our communities is our driving motivation in helping Hawai‘i families secure housing.”
The following organizations each received a $20,000 grant from HBR’s REALTORS® Care Fund:
- Domestic Violence Action Center is committed to ending domestic violence by assisting houseless survivors and their children to secure safe housing, emergency rent and utilities payments.
- Catholic Charities Hawaii provides a wide range of services including an Intake, Information, and Referral (IIR) Unit, which provides centralized information service, emergency assistance funds for rent and utility payments, and administers the Statewide Homeless Emergency Grants (SHEG) program and Punawai programs.
- Hawaiian Community Assets is a HUD-approved housing counseling agency and community lending institution that builds the capacity of low- and moderate-income communities to achieve housing and sustain economic self-sufficiency with a particular focus on Native Hawaiians.
“We are grateful for the financial support of HBR so we can continue to support the survivors of domestic abuse and their children by providing emergency rent and utility payments,” said Nanci Kreidman, CEO of the Domestic Violence Action Center. “As this pandemic forces us to stay-at-home to slow the spread of the virus, it has never been more important to support those suffering from domestic abuse.”
“Native Hawaiians are among those disproportionately impacted by this pandemic,” said Lahela Williams, executive director of Hawaiian Community Assets. “This funding will enable us to provide much-needed financial support for families trying to make ends meet and stay in their homes.”
“People are being forced to make difficult decisions on whether to pay for groceries or their rent,” said Robert Van Tassell, CEO and president of Catholic Charities Hawaii. “We know this immediate rental relief will have a huge impact on our local families.”
First established in 1993 and known as the REALTOR® Housing Fund, the newly renamed REALTORS® Care Fund will continue HBR’s commitment to supporting programs and initiatives that help build community and provide homes to local residents. The housing fund is seeded by contributions from individual REALTORS® for annual grant-giving and is administered by the Hawaii Community Foundation. To date, the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® has donated more than $352,500 in grants to community organizations.
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About the Honolulu Board of REALTORS®
Established in 1922, the Honolulu Board of REALTORS® is one of the largest of 1,200 boards of REALTORS® in the nation, and, with more than 6,500 members, is one of the largest trade organizations on Oahu. Membership is available to licensed real estate brokers, agents, property managers, appraisers, counselors and others engaged in all aspects of the real estate industry who pledge to adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice. For more information, call (808) 732-3000 or visit www.hicentral.com.