What are Housing Choice Vouchers?

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Program Eligibility Application Process The Rent Subsidy Roles of the Tenant, Landlord, and the HPHA HCV Administrative Plan Frequently Asked Questions

The HCV Program

The HPHA provides rental assistance to low-income families in the private rental market through the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program which is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The program, formerly known as Section 8, was created by the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Families are free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and are not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects.

Program Eligibility

Eligibility for a housing voucher is determined based on a family's annual gross income and family size. Participation is also limited to US citizens and specified categories of non-citizens who have eligible immigration status. In general, a family's income may not exceed 50% of the median income for the area where the family chooses to live.

During the application process, the HPHA will collect information on family income, assets, and family composition. The HPHA will verify this information with other local agencies, employers, and other financial institutions. If the HPHA determines that a family is eligible, the family's name will be put on a waiting list if it is not able to issue a voucher immediately.

Application Process

The public will be notified through television, radio, print advertising, and/or the HPHA's website when the HCV waiting list will be reopened.

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All families should have the following information ready for all household members before filling out an application:

Full names and social security numbers;
Gross income and the name of all employers;
Cash value of all assets and annual income from assets;
Date of birth;
Mailing address; and
Working email address.

The Rent Subsidy

The HPHA calculates the maximum amount of rent subsidy allowable. The maximum rent subsidy is generally the lesser of the payment standard minus 30% of a family's monthly adjusted income, or the gross rent for a dwelling unit minus 30% of monthly adjusted rent. The payment standard is the maximum monthly subsidy payment that the HPHA may pay for a family. The HPHA establishes payment standards by zip code. The asking rent for any dwelling unit assisted under the program must also be determined to be reasonable in comparison to other comparable, unassisted units in the same area.

Roles of the Tenant, Landlord, and the HPHA

Once the HPHA approves an eligible family's housing unit, the family and the landlord sign a lease while the landlord and the HPHA sign a housing assistance payments contract that runs for the same term as the lease. This means that everyone — tenant, landlord, and the HPHA — has a role and responsibilities under the voucher program.

Tenant's Role

When a family selects a housing unit, and the HPHA approves the unit and lease, the family signs a lease with the landlord for at least one year. The tenant may be required to pay a security deposit to the landlord. After the first year the landlord may initiate a new lease or allow the family to remain in the unit on a month-to-month lease.
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When the family is settled in a new home, the family is expected to comply with the lease and the program requirements, pay its share of rent on time, maintain the unit in good condition and notify the HPHA of any changes in income or family composition.

Landlord's Role

The role of the landlord in the voucher program is to provide decent, safe, and sanitary housing to a tenant at a reasonable rent. The dwelling unit must pass the program's housing quality standards and be maintained up to those standards as long as the owner receives housing assistance payments. In addition, the landlord is expected to provide the services agreed to as part of the lease signed with the tenant and the contract signed with the HPHA.

The HPHA's Role

The HPHA provides a family with the housing assistance that enables the family to seek out suitable housing and the HPHA enters into a contract with the landlord to provide housing assistance payments on behalf of the family. If the landlord fails to meet the owner's obligations under the lease, the HPHA has the right to terminate assistance payments. The HPHA must also reexamine the family's income and composition at least annually and must inspect each unit at least annually to ensure that it meets minimum housing quality standards.

HCV Administrative Plan

The HPHA's Administrative Plan establishes local policies for program administration. More specifically, the Administrative Plan is used to communicate to all interested parties the policy choices the HPHA has made where federal regulations or law does not direct a public housing agency's actions or decisions. The HPHA updates the Administrative Plan on a regular basis.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Does HPHA's HCV Program cover all the islands?

The HPHA's HCV Program only covers the island of Oahu. However, each county administers its own HCV Program. The City and County of Honolulu also offers HCV assistance for the island of Oahu.

I live on a neighbor island and applied for the HPHA's HCV Program. Can I accept and use the HPHA's voucher outside of Oahu?

No, a voucher administered by the HPHA can only be used on Oahu. After using your voucher on Oahu for 12 months, you may transfer voucher assistance to another public housing agency under the program's portability policies.

Email:

hpha@hawaii.gov

Phone:

(808) 204-9042