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Loan Relief and Counseling for Workers Impacted by Federal Layoffs and Funding Cuts

HCL Teams Up with HCA to Offer Loan Relief and Counseling for Workers Impacted by Federal Layoffs and Funding Cuts Statewide

Hawaiʻi Community Lending (HCL) and Hawaiian Community Assets (HCA), two local nonprofits committed to housing stability and financial empowerment, announced a joint effort to provide loan relief options and emergency financial counseling to support workers recently laid off by the federal government or impacted by federal funding cuts across the state.

According to the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization’s (UHERO) recent forecast, more than 2,200 federal worker layoffs and an estimated 1,200 additional layoffs are expected across Hawaiʻi due to government downsizing and cuts to federal programs, signaling significant impacts for local families already facing rising costs of food, housing, healthcare and education.

To support those affected, HCL is offering relief options for current borrowers who have lost employment or income and can provide proof of financial hardship:

  • Refinance: May be available to borrowers who have made 12 months of on-time payments on their HCL loan to help lower monthly payments.
  • Forbearance: Pause payments on HCL loans for up to 12 months.
  • Temporary Interest-Only Payments: Make interest-only payments for up to 12 months.
  • Loan Modification: Adjust loan terms to reduce monthly payments.

In partnership, HCA will provide emergency financial counseling to all laid-off federal workers and those impacted by federal funding cuts, including HCL borrowers, to help them:

  • Create emergency household budgets
  • Access benefits and public assistance
  • Receive referrals for rental support, SNAP, and healthcare
  • Prepare for long-term financial stability

Eligible beneficiaries will also receive support in applying for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) Emergency Financial Assistance Program, expected to open this month.

“We want our workers and working families in Hawaiʻi to know we see them. We understand the impact layoffs and funding cuts can have on our families and the uncertainty it creates when it comes to paying for food, housing, and healthcare,” said HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath and HCA Executive Director Chelsie Evans in a joint statement. “These layoffs and disinvestment of federal funds are a crisis — and we hope our support provides relief to those experiencing this sudden financial hardship.”

In the coming weeks, HCL and HCA will also release a series of educational videos to help community members understand their rights and options when facing financial instability, including tools to prevent foreclosure. These resources will be available on the HCL and HCA websites and social media platforms.

New Job Opportunities
HCL and HCA encourage laid-off federal workers and those impacted by federal funding cuts to explore employment opportunities with the State of Hawaiʻi and Counties:
• State of Hawaiʻi – Operation Hire Hawaiʻi
• City & County of Honolulu – Federal-to-Municipal Workforce Timeline
• County of Maui – County Jobs
• County of Hawaiʻi – County Jobs
• County of Kauaʻi – County Jobs

For more information or to request support, visit: HawaiiCommunityLending.com | HawaiianCommunity.net

To connect with one of our Navigation Specialists for assistance, Contact Us

About Aikū’ē Kalima

Aikū’ē Kalima, former Native Hawaiian Revolving Loan Fund Manager for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, joins Hawaiʻi Community Lending as its lending director.
Kalima comes to HCL with more than 25 years of experience in community development and mortgage lending. In his new position, Kalima will direct HCL’s consumer, construction, mortgage and small business lending.
“As a native Hawaiian and Hawaiian Home Lands beneficiary, I understand the financial needs for economic development and quality housing for kānaka is great,” said Kalima, who led OHA’s deployment of $9.8 million in loans to 286 native Hawaiians statewide over the last five years. “For over 25 years, I have worked tirelessly at the grassroots level, educating kānaka on the skills necessary to achieve the dream of homeownership and providing resources to achieve financial sustainability. I plan to continue serving the lāhui empowering ‘ohana and communities as the lending director for Hawai‘i Community Lending.”
Kalima takes the reins of HCL’s $16-million revolving loan fund and will oversee a team of seven staff members statewide. “HCL is honored to have Aikū’ē join us in our mission to help tackle our housing crisis by funding native Hawaiian and local families to build, buy and save homes from foreclosure,” said HCL Executive Director Jeff Gilbreath. “He has proven leadership in both the public and private sectors and has the passion to get families on the land through homeownership.”

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About Nikki

Nikki Hollern is a mother of five, born and raised in Upcountry Maui, but she spent the last 15 years in the beautiful town of Lahaina. Lahaina stole her heart, with the people and the town being unlike any other. After the fire, her family had to relocate to Kahului.

Her heart remains in Lahaina, and her goal is to help this amazing community get back to where they belong. She feels blessed to have the opportunity to be part of the HCL ‘ohana, helping navigate this incredibly hard time and hopefully serving as a guiding light to assist the community in returning home and coming back even stronger.

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