David Y. Ige

(Honolulu) – Packing and distributing thousands of masks, distributing hand sanitizer and cleaning supplies, and participating in COVID-19 outreach events, are just a few of the things the staff and management of the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority (HPHA) have been engaged in.

HPHA is working hand-in-hand with the Dept. of Health and the Hawai‘i Air National Guard (HING), at outreach events at its large public housing properties. These events are designed to educate the community about COVID-19 and to show people how they can stay safe and healthy. Anyone with flu-like symptoms are tested. The agency administers about 6,200 federal and state low-income public housing units on five islands.

“None of these activities could be carried out without the dedicated support of all our staff who remained hard at work since the start of this pandemic, including property managers, office and maintenance staff, and many others, said HPHA Executive Director Hakim Ouansafi. He added, “The HPHA continues to step up its efforts to keep our at-risk seniors and families as safe as possible during these trying times.”

In addition to staff-made cloth and commercial surgical face masks that have been distributed to public housing participants statewide, HPHA has also:

• Distributed cleaning supplies to staff and residents, when a family tests positive
• Distributed hand sanitizer to hundreds of elderly households
• Provided thousands of healthy meals
• Continuing to provide vital COVID-19 information to all households
• Waived all minimum rents/late fees due to COVID-19-related income loss
• Permitting delayed recertification and flexible rules to self-certify loss of income
• Implemented direct deposit for rent payments
• Launched free WiFi at ten sites to encourage at-home learning
• Processing of additional vouchers to get more people into housing
• Purchased laptop computers and cell phones to help staff performing tele-work

HPHA established a website to help inform public housing residents, Section 8 program participants, applicants, and agency staff: www.hphaishereforyou.org

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RESOURCES

(All images courtesy: HPHA and HING)

Photographs –
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ql3j1wh1ezdp65l/AADCe4hQlsvq6R6EQkepLLG8a?dl=0

MEDIA CONTACTS

Dan Dennison
Lead Public Information Officer
Hawai‘i COVID-19 Joint Information Center
(808) 354-4263
[email protected]

Ben Park
Chief Planner
Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority
(808) 832-4671
[email protected]