O'ahu nonprofit groups have been awarded $4 million in federal stimulus money for homelessness prevention and rapid re-housing programs.

The money is being doled out by the city to eight organizations, with the biggest chunk, $1.1 million, going to the Institute for Human Services.

"It's going toward helping people who are on the verge of losing their rentals or need to get into housing," said Connie Mitchell, executive director of IHS, which runs two emergency shelters in the urban core. "It's not long-term support. It's more of helping people in an emergency."

The money is part of $1.5 billion that was included in the federal economic stimulus package for homelessness prevention programs.

States got the money based on a formula, and 60 percent of the money must be spent by 2011.

In addition to the $4 million that went to O'ahu, about $2.2 million went to the Neighbor Islands.

The federal funding comes as social service agencies say they are being swamped by requests for help.

Helping Hands Hawai'i, for example, helped 559 families in the first quarter of 2009 with emergency financial aid — four times the 139 households who were helped in the same period in 2008. Also, the number of people getting food from the nonprofit has doubled compared to 2008.

In the first quarter of this year, about 881 people got food from Helping Hands, up from the 438 who got food in the first quarter of 2008.

Scott Morishige, program manager for Helping Hands' Community Clearinghouse, said many of those requesting help are people who have seen their hours cut, have been laid off or are no longer getting unemployment benefits. "We've noticed more families ... taking assistance," Morishige said.

Helping Hands will get $500,000 from the $4 million appropriation to O'ahu nonprofits.

"It's coming at the right time," Morishige said.

The nonprofit currently spends about $250,000 annually on emergency financial assistance.

The stimulus funds are aimed at helping people who have recently become homeless or are at risk of homelessness. According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the money can go to "short-term or medium-term rental assistance" and moving and stabilization services, including for case management, credit counseling, security or utility deposits and payments.

In a news release, the mayor said the city got the HUD funding in mid-March and was able to award it within six weeks.

"That's the kind of efficiency we're very proud of, and which we expect to see with our other federal stimulus funding projects," Mayor Mufi Hannemann said. He added that at a time when other funding sources for homeless programs are declining, "I'm gratified that the city was able to use this federal stimulus money to address one of the most significant socio-economic problems facing us."