American Rescue Plan Act

_{Image provided by Kauai Habitat for Humanity}

About the American Rescue Plan Act

In March of 2021, Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and it was officially signed by President Biden.

The ARPA included $362B in direct fiscal aid to state and local governments primarily through the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund. The Local Fiscal Recovery Fund (LFRF) is providing $386M to the City and County of Honolulu.

Opportunity to Resolve Hawaii’s Housing Crisis

LFRF has provided the largest infusion of federal assistance to state and local municipalities ever and these funds have not been designated. So Hawaii Habitat is seeking your support to ask the City and County of Honolulu Leadership to prioritize housing by utilizing a sum of these funds toward Hawaii’s housing crisis.

Why We Should Prioritize Housing

Honolulu has been facing an affordable housing crisis. According to the 2019 Hawaii Housing Demand Study, from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism, the projected estimate of demand for total new housing (for either rental or ownership) in C&C of Honolulu is 22,168 units for the 2020 to 2025 period. Approximately 55% of these units need to be affordable for low-income households earning 80% AMI or less.

How the ARPA Funding Will Be Utilizied

The ARPA funding is meant to address the housing needs of our low-income communities. The Treasury’s interim guidelines for Fiscal Recovery Funds use outlines the funding of:

Affordable housing development to increase the supply of affordable and high-quality living units; and
Supporting an equitable recovery by addressing not only the immediate harms of the pandemic, but its exacerbation of longstanding public health, economic and educational disparities;
Serving populations, households, or geographic areas disproportionately impacted by the pandemic

Ask City and County of Honolulu Leadership to Prioritize Housing by August 31, 2021!

How Can I Get Involved?

Stay Informed

Use our Resources

Download and fill out this testimony in support of prioritizing housing and send it to the Governor’s e-mail: david.y.ige@hawaii.gov

Raise Your Voice

Submit your own ARPA Funding for Housing testimony on Gov. Ige’s website or call and testify at: (808) 586-0034.

Learn more about general advocacy