Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 32, Number 7, 1 July 2015 — Housing First recipient uses financial education, MATCH savings and rental subsidy to win battle against chronic homelessness [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Housing First recipient uses financial education, MATCH savings and rental subsidy to win battle against chronic homelessness

By Samantha Ohampion Hawaiian Community Assets

Victoriano Qrtiz, a 52-year-old Native Hawaiian man, first eame to Hawaiian Community Assets in January 201 1 while staying at the Kumuhonua Transitional Shelter. Having spent decades living on the heaeh with no roof over his head, he found an opportunity to break the cycle of homelessness through financial education. "My case managers told me about HCA and I took advantage of (the Ananeial education services) because I was tired of being homeless and wanted to improve my financial situation," shared Victoriano, who struggled to find an affordable rental on Social Security disability ineome of $674 per month. Working with HCA's counselors, he

completed a four-hour Kahua Waiwai Financial Education Workshop series and received one-on-one counseling to create and follow a monthly budget, develop a savings plan, improve his credit and leam how to heeome a financially qualified renter. Over the next three-and-a-half years Victoriano met regularly with HCA counselors and worked

closely with his case managers at Kumuhonua and later Onelau'ena to find rental housing he could afford. Even with housing program fees of $350 per month, he diligently followed his budget, adjusting when changes needed to be made and saved into his Trust account at Onelau'ena. By March 2015, Victoriano had saved $1,060, secured $223 in SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition

Assistance Program) benefits to increase his household monthly ineome to $956, and successfully secured a one-bedroom rental home in Wai'anae. Victoriano was motivated to save by HCA's one-of-a-kind Renters MATCH Savings Account, a product funded by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs that provided him a 4: 1 match on $500 saved for a total of $2,000. "I was able to keep money in my savings account and made no withdrawals, whieh qualified me for the Renters MATCH money. It was a big help," said Victoriano, sharing that his Renters MATCH funds paid his rent in advance for 11 months, whieh allows him to continue saving into his emergency savings eaeh month. As a Housing First recipient, he also received rent subsidy through the Institute for Human Services to reduce his rental payment to $176 per month for the first year. Additional ūnaneial assistance was provided by Salvation Army, whieh covered his $950 security deposit. "I would tell (other homeless individuals) to go to HCA, listen to their counselor," Victoriano advised. "(HCA's) guidance was very helpful. I'm not homeless anymore!" He is now living happily in his one-bedroom home in Wai'anae with his girlfriend and puppy. ■ Tlns article was reprinted with permission from Hawaiian Community Assets.

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Victoriano Ortiz, left, stands with Rose Transfiguracion, a Hawaiian Community Assets community services specialist who counseled him and his girlfriend, Candace Corace. They are pictured in front of the home in Nōnōkuli where Ortiz and Corace live with their puppy, Bear. - Photo: LisaAsato