UPDATED OCT. 31, 2025, AT 4 PM
Some relief will be available for families impacted by the government shutdown and the likely suspension of federal food assistance on Saturday.
Qualifying families with children can now apply for up to four months of assistance for rent or mortgage, and utility payments, through the Hawaiʻi Relief Program.
To qualify, a household has to be below 300% of the federal poverty line and have a dependent child under 18 years old. For a family of four, that’s an annual salary of a little under $111,000.
The applicant must also show an episode of need or financial crisis, which can include the loss of income due to the current government shutdown or the loss of SNAP benefits.
Gov. Josh Green is funding the relief with about $100 million from the federal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which restricts recipients to families with dependent children.
Because of that requirement, the Hawaiʻi Relief Program is expected to serve only about a third of the 160,000 people in Hawaiʻi who use SNAP. The TANF funds will be deposited directly to vendors, such as mortgage companies and landlords, not to participants.
Green also announced on Hawaiʻi Public Radio’s The Conversation that the state will provide $250 one-time payments to SNAP recipients on their electronic benefit cards on or before Nov. 14.
“This will help people because we don’t have any guarantees right now that the federal government is going to open again this week, next week, we just don’t know, and a lot of people are going to be hungry if they don’t get their SNAP benefits," he said during Thursdayʻs press conference.
Since each SNAP recipient will receive funds, a family of four would get $1,000.
This separate relief program will cost the state about $42 million: $30 million will come from general funds, with the rest from the $400 million TANF reserve.
In comparison, the state gets about $60 million in federal funding for SNAP each month.
Although people get different amounts in SNAP benefits, some more than the $250 and others less, the state wanted to simplify the process by allocating everyone the same amount. The average person in Hawaiʻi receives about $350 a month through SNAP.
"Because it's a very short window to operationalize this program, it's to not overthink it, to simplify it," Green said. "We're trying to find a target where it's enough for families to get the basics."
Two federal judges have ordered the Trump administration to use emergency funding to provide SNAP benefits for the 42 million people nationwide who rely on the program, NPR reports. But it was unclear hours after the rulings Friday how much assistance may be provided or when it might come. Hawaiʻi officials said both state relief programs would still be activated.
"We may prevail in court. There could be injunctions, but I'm not going to put our 'eggs in that basket.' I'm going to make sure we put eggs in people's refrigerators with this program," Green said Thursday.
Further funding developments
The state will not need to dip into its $1.6 billion rainy day fund to pay for either of the programs, Green said. House Finance Committee Chair Chris Todd explained that the governor has some flexibility with money already appropriated by the Legislature.
“They have the power to restrict and to spend within that framework,” Todd said. “So if they can find those solutions within that existing budget appropriation, then they would not require us to come in and convene.”
However, if the governor wanted to dip into the rainy day fund, or use the $200 million set aside by the Legislature last session to address federal funding uncertainty, the Legislature would have to reconvene.
“That money's not appropriated. So I think the administration's trying to find ways to be creative in how they can appropriate, within their current budget, without needing a special session,” Todd said. “But if they do exhaust those options, then that would require explicit legislative approval through some sort of session.”
For example, the state Department of Human Services is giving $2 million of its budget to the Hawaiʻi Foodbank to help with the added need due to the SNAP suspension.
Green also released $500,000 for the Farm to Families program that was passed by the Legislature earlier this year. It helps food banks buy, store and distribute local produce grown by Hawaiʻi farmers.
Separately, a more permanent change to SNAP is happening on Nov. 1 when work requirements for able-bodied adults go into effect, impacting adults between 55 and 64 years old, parents with children 14 and over, youth transitioning out of foster care, and those experiencing homelessness.
AARP Hawaiʻi Executive Director Kealiʻi Lopez was concerned for kūpuna who will now be subject to work requirements, but also had some advice.
“The other thing that we want people to know is that caregiving is something you can include as part of working,” she said.
“If you're going to school, working part-time, or a caregiver, those could potentially qualify as part of one of those requirements. Caregiving is an important part of what a lot of people do in caring for their loved ones. So we want to make sure people know that they can consider that as well and should apply with that in mind.”
The federal government also granted Hawaiʻi an exemption from being subjected to payment error penalties during the implementation of these work requirements through Sept. 30, 2026. States with a payment error rate over 6% can be penalized and have to pay a portion of the SNAP benefits they received.
DHS Benefit, Employment and Support Services Division Administrator Scott Morishige said the exemption gives the state a little more time to work out how to implement the work requirements, but it won’t stop the state from having to impose them.
“This exemption requires that Hawaiʻi continue to make good faith efforts to implement the [One Big Beautiful Bill Act] changes related to the work requirements,” Morishige said.
“You may be wondering why we are moving forward with the implementation starting Nov. 1, and that's part of the reason, is that while we get this exemption to essentially hold us harmless from payment error, we're still subject to making a good faith effort to move forward with implementation of the requirements.”
Looking for more HPR stories about SNAP benefits during the shutdown?
- Who qualifies for a $100M Hawaiʻi relief program during the SNAP shutdown?
- OHA working on $6.1M for Native Hawaiians impacted by SNAP, government shutdown
- Federal food assistance program to increase work requirements next month
- UHERO on how SNAP support affects families, education, economy and more
Local food banks and further resources:
- Oʻahu and Kauaʻi: Hawaiʻi Foodbank
- Maui, Molokaʻi and Lānaʻi: Maui Food Bank
- Hawaiʻi Island: The Food Basket
- Hawaiʻi SNAP Outreach Providers
- Aloha United Way 2-1-1
Do you rely on SNAP? What are your concerns about the suspension of SNAP benefits due to the federal government shutdown? Share your questions and stories with Hawaiʻi Public Radio by leaving a voicemail at our Talkback Line 808-792-8217 or emailing us at talkback@hawaiipublicradio.org.
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