Lawmakers have set aside $1.2 million over two years to help some of the displaced Del Monte Fresh Produce workers with their mortgages and rent.

But the bureaucracy involved in creating a housing assistance program may mean financial help won't be available until the end of the year.

Meanwhile, laid-off workers' unemployment benefits run out this summer and the possibility of higher rent later this year looms at Del Monte's Kunia Camp.

It's been about four months since hundreds of workers picked up their last paychecks from Del Monte, which abruptly closed late last year. While the majority of them have found new jobs or are in training, many former Del Monte employees may need help to pay for housing, according to the union representing the workers.

At least 100 of the displaced workers haven't found new jobs, and those who have found work may be earning less with fewer benefits, said ILWU Local 142 social worker Joanne Kealoha. Some did not qualify for severance pay, and rent for non-retirees living in plantation homes at Kunia Camp is expected to increase next year and may rise later this year as well, she said.

Kealoha also said unemployment benefits for most displaced workers are set to run out at the end of July.

TALKS NEXT WEEK

Representatives of the union and the Hawai'i Housing Finance and Development Corp., the state agency that would administer the housing assistance program for Del Monte workers, plan to meet next week to discuss details of the program, including eligibility criteria and the amount and length of assistance.

It's unclear how many people ultimately would need housing assistance, but during the legislative session the state and the union had been "talking in the range of maybe 150 to 200 workers," said Janice Takahashi, chief planner for the HHFDC.

Del Monte announced in February 2006 that it would close its Kunia pineapple operation by the end of 2008. But last November, the company said it had accelerated those plans and was closing immediately, laying off 551 employees. Workers were paid through Jan. 22.

Some of the laid-off workers are undergoing computer and other occupational training, and several are set to get their high school diplomas soon, "but there are still a number of people who have a hard time finding other jobs, and they've got unemployment running out," Kealoha said.

"I'm concerned about the people who have limited English skills, who have very little occupational skills," she said, adding that displaced workers may still call the union for help. "I'm concerned that they might just fall through the cracks."

The union social worker said she recently learned about a couple of former Del Monte workers who haven't sought unemployment benefits because they were intimidated by the process.

NOT ALL HAVE APPLIED

People older than 50 who are earning less money at their new jobs may qualify for temporary wage subsidies from the federal government, but some haven't taken advantage of that, she said.

The legislation designed to provide assistance, House Bill 835, creates a "pineapple workers and retirees housing assistance fund" to provide mortgage payments or rent subsidies for eligible Del Monte employees and retirees who were affected by the closure of company operations.

Lawmakers appropriated $600,000 for the fiscal year that begins July 1, and another $600,000 for the following year.

The bill is awaiting action from Gov. Linda Lingle, who is soliciting comments about the measure. The HHFDC will recommend that the governor allow the bill to become law, Takahashi said.

The program has yet to be officially crafted, and requires a lengthy administrative rule-making process before any money can be distributed. Takahashi said that process would be expedited, which means the program could be up and running by the end of the year.

The state has administered similar programs before. Takahashi said state housing officials in the mid-'90s offered mortgage loans and rent subsidies to employees of Waialua Sugar Co., which closed in 1996. But there appeared to be little interest.

GETTING THE WORD OUT

Hundreds of Waialua Sugar workers lost their jobs, but Takahashi said the state made only eight $10,000 mortgage loans and gave four $8,000 rent subsidies. The rent subsidies were paid directly to the property owners.

This time, the HHFDC plans to work more closely with the union to ensure the word gets out to the people who need the help, she said.

In the meantime, still unresolved is the future of about 115 plantation homes at Kunia Camp, which is on land leased by Del Monte from the James Campbell Co.

Workers pay Del Monte an average of about $300 a month in rent, which is expected to rise next year and may increase this year, too, Kealoha said. Retirees pay roughly $700 to $800 a month, she said.

James Campbell Co. has been working with the ILWU, Del Monte and government leaders to find a solution before the end of 2008, when Del Monte's lease runs out, said Campbell spokeswoman Theresia McMurdo.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com.