County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development

Waiting Lists

Learn more about County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development.

Closed: Hawaii County, Hawaii Section 8 HCV

The County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting list is closed.

The OHCD last accepted Section 8 HCV applications for this waiting list from September 19, 2022, until October 6, 2022. There is no notice of when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.

This waiting list had the following preferences:

  • Any resident family of the State or County of Hawai’i whose gross annual income is at or below 30%, has at least one (1) minor child under the age of 18 and/or who include an elderly person or a person with a disability, and a valid lease agreement with a landlord that agrees to participate in the HCV program will be given the highest priority.
  • Any resident family of the State or County of Hawai’i whose gross annual income is at or below 30%, has at least one (1) minor child under the age of 18 and/or who include an elderly person or a person with a disability.
  • Next, the following categories will be treated equally:
    • Elderly/Disabled.
    • Families whose assistance had been terminated from its HCV program due to insufficient funding.
    • Applicants who are experiencing an emergency situation, (homeless or involuntarily displaced).
    • Specific special purpose voucher participants who qualify to “move up”.

Selected applicants were placed on the waiting list by random lottery, weighed by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the OHCD website.

Sources: This information was verified by the OHCD public notice on September 7, 2022.

Service Area

This waiting list is for Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance in Hawaii County, Hawaii.

Last Updated on 03/19/2023.

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Closed: Tenant-Based Rental Assistance HOME Tenant-Based

The County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) Tenant-Based Rental Assistance HOME waiting list is closed.

The OHCD last accepted applications for this waiting list from January 19, 2023, until January 26, 2023. There is no notice when this waiting list will reopen.

To apply during the opening period, applicants were required to complete the online application.

The maximum income limits for each household size were as followed:

  • 1 Person $40,020 | 5 Persons $61,740
  • 2 Persons $45,720 | 6 Persons $66,300
  • 3 Persons $51,420| 7 Persons $70,860
  • 4 Persons $57,120 | 8 Persons $75,420

This waiting list had the following preferences:

  • Natural Disaster
  • Government Action
  • Victims of Domestic Violence
  • Family Reunification
  • Homelessness
  • Terminally ill
  • Aged-Out Foster Care Youth
  • Families in Transitional Housing Programs

Selected applicants were placed on this waiting list by date and time the application was received, by order of preferences.

For more information, visit the OHCD website.

Sources: This information was verified by the OHCD notice on January 9, 2023.

Service Area

This waiting list is for Other Tenant-Based rental assistance in Hawaii County, Hawaii.

Last Updated on 01/26/2023.

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About County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development

50 Wailuku Drive, Hilo, HI | Visit Website | (808) 959-4642

County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development provides affordable housing for up to 2,064 low and moderate income households through its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program..

In addition, County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development offers other programs for eligible households, including:

  • Family Self-Sufficiency

Housing Authority Jurisdiction

Low-income housing managed by County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development is located in Hawaii County, HI.

Households with a Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher managed by this housing authority must rent within its jurisdiction.

Office Hours

Open today from 7:45am to 4:30pm HAST.

Day Hours
Monday 7:45am-4:30pm
Tuesday 7:45am-4:30pm
Wednesday 7:45am-4:30pm
Thursday 7:45am-4:30pm
Friday 7:45am-4:30pm

About the County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program

As of the HUDs most recent Voucher Management System report, County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development manages 2,033 active Housing Choice Vouchers.

The following table summarizes types of vouchers managed and the monthly costs of each as of December 31st, 2021:

Standard Homeownership Family Unification Tenant Protection Ported Out VASH
Vouchers 1,935 7 10 10 27 40
Monthly Cost Per Voucher $872 $658 $822 $738 $1,052 $759
Monthly Cost $1,687,705 $4,606 $8,218 $7,379 $28,412 $30,341
Waiting List and Tenancy

According to the 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households database, the housing authority's voucher program has an annual turnover of 19% having issued approximately 114 vouchers in the past year. The average voucher holder has received housing benefits for 7 years and 6 months. According to the 2016 PSH database, persons who were issued a voucher in the preceding 12 months waited an average of 60 months on the waiting list1.

Income Characteristics

According to 2016 Q4 Picture of Subsidized Households data, the average voucher household contains 2.8 persons and has a household income of $15,783 per year. 93% of households were very low income (VLI) and 69% were extremely low income (ELI). 35% of households had wages as a major source of income, 8% of households had welfare (TANF, General Assistance or Public Assistance) as their primary source of income, and 54% of households had other income (Social Security, Disability or Pension) as their major source of income.

Heads of Household Characteristics

2% of households were headed by a person 24 years old or less, 55% were headed by a person 25 to 49 years old, 22% were headed by a person 51 to 60 years old, and 22% were headed by a person 62 years old or older. In addition, 1% of households were headed by a person 85 years old or older.

52% of households included children, 21% of which had two adults in the household. 44% of households with children have a female head of household. 72% of all households were headed by a female.

74% of all voucher households were headed by minorities with 3% of all heads of households being Black and 1% being Hispanic.

Of all households participating in the County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development Housing Choice Voucher program, 19% include at least one person with a disability. 38% of households with a head of household 61 years or less were headed by a person with a disability. 66% of households headed by someone 62 or older were headed by a person with a disability.

Bedroom Size and Overhousing

28% of voucher holders reside in a home with zero or 1 bedroom, 33% with 2 bedrooms and 39% with 3 or more bedrooms. 18% of voucher recipients are considered overhoused, meaning they occupy a rental unit larger than their family size requires.

Rent, Assistance, and Utility Allowances

The average monthly tenant contribution to rent by County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development voucher holders in 2016 was $393 and the average monthly HUD expenditure per voucher holder was $995. The average utility allowance across all voucher recipients is $234.

1. This Picture of Subsidized Households data field is the average wait time of those who received a voucher in the preceding 12 months. Due to special voucher programs like VASH, recent waiting list purges, or waiting list preferences the average wait time can vary significantly from one year to the next and it is entirely possible many current applicants on the waiting list have been waiting for assistance for far longer.