Housing Choice Voucher Waiting List Opens 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 opening period will be from 9 a.m. on September 19 to 4 p.m. on October 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 close of the opening period, a random selection by lot of all applications determines the position on the waiting list. The date and time the request is received has no bearing on its position on the waiting list.

Confirmation of waitlist position is sent to each applicant by email or mail approximately seven days after the waitlist 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 housing assistance to very low-income families, seniors, and people disabilities to afford decent, safe and healthy housing. in the private market.

An eligible family who has been issued a voucher is responsible for finding suitable accommodation where the landlord 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 rental housing that meets minimum federal health and safety standards and local requirements. The family pays the allowable difference 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 itself to US citizens and specific categories of non-citizens with eligible immigration status. Generally, a family’s income cannot exceed 80% of the Hawai’i County median income. By law, the Office of Housing and Community Development must provide 75% of its vouchers to applicants whose income does not exceed 30% of the area’s median income.

For more information, contact the Office of Housing and Community Development at 808-959-4642 or by email at [email protected].