Housing Choice Voucher Program Waiting List to Open in September

The county Office of Housing and Community Development will open the waiting list for the Housing Choice Voucher Program, or Section 8, later this month.

The open period will be from 9 a.m. Sept. 19 through 4 p.m. Oct. 3.

Applications must be completed and submitted electronically through the housing agency’s online application portal, accessible with any computer or smartphone with internet access. To access the site, click here.

There is no cost to apply; however, only one application per family is allowed on the waiting list.

After the open period closes, a random selection by lottery of all the applications determines position on the waiting list. The date and time of receipt of the application has no bearing on its position on the waiting list.

Confirmation of position on waiting list is sent to each applicant via email or mail about seven days after the waiting list closes.

The Office of Housing and Community Development administers the Housing Choice Voucher Program with federal funds received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides rental assistance to very-low income families, the elderly and the disabled to afford decent, safe and sanitary housing in the private market.

An eligible family issued a voucher is responsible for finding a suitable housing unit where the owner agrees to rent under the program. The housing agency pays a housing subsidy directly to a landlord on behalf of the participating family or voucher recipient for a rental unit that meets minimum federal standards of health and safety and local requirements. The family pays the difference allowed between the actual rent charged by the landlord and the amount subsidized by the program.

Eligibility for the Section 8 program is based on total gross income and family size. It also limited to U.S. citizens and specific categories of non-citizens with eligible immigration status. In general, a family’s income may not exceed 80% of the median income for Hawai‘i County. By law, the Office of Housing and Community Development must provide 75% of its vouchers to applicants whose incomes do not exceed 30% of the area median income.

For more information, contact the Office of Housing and Community Development at 808-959-4642 or via email at sec8info@hawaiicounty.gov.