Hilo, Hawaii Affordable Housing

Waiting Lists in Hilo, Hawaii

There are no open Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher waiting lists in Hilo. Go to the Hawaii Section 8 Waiting Lists page for openings near Hilo.

Finding Affordable Housing in Hilo, Hawaii

There are 231 low-income apartments in Hilo that offer reduced rents to eligible households.

Rental assistance programs support 730 low-income homes in Hilo where households pay rent based on how much they earn. For 2023, elgible households participating in federally assisted housing pay an average of $385 towards rent each month.

Riverside Apartments

333 Ohai St
Hilo, Hawaii
Call For Rent
1-3 BR
Rent Assisted

Kamana Elderly

145 Kamana St
Hilo, Hawaii
Call For Rent
1 BR
Rent Assisted
62+
Accessible
Elderly Supportive Housing

Mohouli Heights Senior Neighborhood

555 Kupuna Pl
Hilo, Hawaii
Call For Rent
1 BR
Rent Assisted
62+
Accessible
Elderly Supportive Housing

Haili Elderly Apartments

227 Haili Street
Hilo, Hawaii
Rent Assisted

Hale Hoaloha Apartments

119 W Lanikaula Street
Hilo, Hawaii
Rent Assisted

Shdc No. 2

192 Mohouli St
Hilo, Hawaii
Rent Assisted
Accessible
Accessible
Disabled Supportive Housing

Hilo Hale

208 Wainaku St
Hilo, Hawaii
Rent Assisted
Accessible
Accessible
Disabled Supportive Housing

Lanakila Homes

19 Pamala Pl
Hilo, Hawaii

Hale Ulu Hoi II

1305 Ululani St
Hilo, Hawaii
Rent Assisted
62+
Accessible
Elderly Supportive Housing

Hilo Hale Ohana

1370 Ululani St
Hilo, Hawaii
Affordable
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Affordable rent data last confirmed on March 16th, 2023. Subdsidized rents typically change once a year based on federal guidance.

Affordable Housing Near Hilo

View affordable apartments and waiting lists in cities near Hilo

City Apartments
Kailua-Kona, HI Affordable Housing programs support 11 apartment communities in Kailua-Kona.
Waimea, HI Affordable Housing programs support 4 apartment communities in Waimea.
Waikoloa, HI Affordable Housing programs support 3 apartment communities in Waikoloa.
Captain Cook, HI Affordable Housing programs support 2 apartment communities in Captain Cook.
Kapaau, HI Affordable Housing programs support 2 apartment communities in Kapaau.

Public Housing Agencies Serving Hilo, Hawaii

Public Housing Agencies operate federally assisted affordable housing programs at local levels on behalf of HUD. Notably, housing agencies are responsible for managing Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, Public Housing, and Project-Based Voucher waiting lists within their jurisdiction.

Housing Authority Programs
County of Hawaii Office of Housing and Community Development Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV); Family Self-Sufficiency
Go to the Hawaii Public Housing and Low-Income Apartments Waiting Lists page for openings near Hilo.

Hilo, Hawaii Affordable Housing Data

Income Based Apartments in Hilo, Hawaii

Hilo features 730 income based apartments. Tenants of income based apartments typically pay no more than 30% of their income towards rent and utilities.

Low Rent Apartments in Hilo, Hawaii

There are 231 rent subsidized apartments that do not provide direct rental assistance but remain affordable to low income households in Hilo.

Housing Choice Vouchers in Hilo, Hawaii

On average, Section 8 Housing Choice vouchers pay Hilo landlords $800 per month towards rent. The average voucher holder contributes $400 towards rent in Hilo.

The maximum amount a voucher would pay on behalf of a low-income tenant in Hilo, Hawaii for a two-bedroom apartment is between $1,490 and $1,822.

2023 Hilo, Hawaii Fair Market Rents and Housing Choice Voucher Payment Standards

Fair Market Rents can be used to better understand the average housing costs of an area. Fair Market Rents are used by HUD to establish payment and rent standards for federal rental assistance programs like the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program.

Studio One BR Two BR Three BR Four BR
Hilo, Hawaii Fair Market Rent $1,116 $1,263 $1,656 $2,131 $2,250
Hilo, Hawaii Payment Standard Range $1,004 to $1,228 $1,137 to $1,389 $1,490 to $1,822 $1,918 to $2,344 $2,025 to $2,475

Sourced from federal housing data and AffordableHousingOnline.com research.

Hilo, HI Affordable Housing Snapshot

Total Affordable Apartment Properties 14
Total Low Income Apartments 961
Total Housing Units with Rental Assistance 730
Percentage of Housing Units Occupied By Renters 36.42%
Average Renter Household Size 2.78
Average Household Size 2.83
Median Household Income $53,939 ±$3,455
Median Rent $925 ±$81
Percentage Of Renters Overburdened 48.67% ± 5.24pp
Total Population 45,380

Population and Household Demographics

Hilo is a city in Hawaii County, Hawaii with a population of 45,380. There are 15,586 households in the city with an average household size of 2.83 persons. 36.42% of households in Hilo are renters.

Income and Rent Overburden in Hilo

The median gross income for households in Hilo is $53,939 a year, or $4,495 a month. The median rent for the city is $925 a month.

Households who pay more than thirty percent of their gross income are considered to be Rent Overburdened. In Hilo, a household making less than $3,083 a month would be considered overburdened when renting an apartment at or above the median rent. 48.67% of households who rent are overburdened in Hilo.

Area Median Income In Hilo

Affordable housing program eligibility is always determined by one's income. Each household's income is compared to the incomes of all other households in the area. This is accomplished through a statistic established by the government called the Area Median Income, most often referred to as AMI. The AMI is calculated and published each year by HUD.

HUD often uses an area larger than a city to determine the AMI because HUD anticipates those searching for housing will look beyond individual cities during their housing search. For Hilo, the AMI is calculated from all households within Hawaii County.

In Hilo, HUD calculates the Area Median Income for a family of four as $91,600

Most affordable housing programs determine eligibility based on the percent of AMI a given household's income is. Among the programs that determine eligibility based on the AMI are Section 8, HOME, LIHTC, Section 515, 202 and 811.

Rental Assistance in Hilo

Rental assistance is a type of housing subsidy that pays for a portion of a renter’s monthly housing costs, including rent and tenant paid utilities. This housing assistance can come in the form of Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, project-based Section 8 contracts, public housing, USDA Rental Assistance (in Section 515 properties) as well as HUD Section 202 and 811 properties for elderly and disabled households.

Income Qualifications for HUD Rental Assistance in Hilo

1 Person 2 Person 3 Person 4 Person 5 Person 6 Person 7 Person 8 Person
30% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 30% of the Hilo AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Extremely Low Income households.
$20,000 $22,850 $26,490 $31,920 $37,350 $42,780 $48,210 $53,640
50% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 50% of the Hilo AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Very Low Income households.
$33,350 $38,100 $42,850 $47,600 $51,450 $55,250 $59,050 $62,850
80% AMI Income Limits
Renters earning up to 80% of the Hilo AMI may qualify for rental assistance programs that target Low Income households.
$53,350 $60,950 $68,550 $76,150 $82,250 $88,350 $94,450 $100,550