Department of Community Services

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Department of Community Services

Ka ʻOihana Lawelawe Kaiāulu
Housing Choice Voucher Program

SECTION 8

Community Assistance Division

Who can apply?

Anyone is welcome to apply so long as they meet the following income eligibility requirements:

2022 Applicable Income Limits by Family Size:

1

$45,750

2

$52,250

3

$58,800

4

$65,300

5

$70,550

6

$75,750

For Full Admission and Eligibility Requirements and Income Limits, please click here.

What do I need to apply?

All applicants should have the following information ready before filling out a Section 8 Pre-Application:

  1. Social Security Numbers for All Household Members
  2. Household Members’ Gross Incomes and Names of Employers
  3. Household Members’ Cash Value of Assets and Annual Income Received from them (Example: Checking and/or Savings Accounts, Stocks, Bonds, CDs, Investments, Real Estate, etc…)
  4. Household Members’ Date of Birth
  5. Some “Yes” or “No” questions will be asked regarding Public Assistance history and Criminal history for Adult Members of the Household
  6. Emergency Contact Information (Optional)
  7. Working Email address

Frequently Asked Questions

We plan to process the remaining applications on the current waitlist in early 2023 and will then be ready to welcome new program applicants.

 There is no charge. If you are asked to pay to apply, you’re on the wrong website. Don’t be scammed into paying a pre-application fee. 

Refer to the list below for computer access.

AGENCIES WITH COMPUTER ACCESS

Place

Address and Time Availability

Section 8 Offices

842 Bethel St., 1st Floor, Honolulu (808-768-7096)

1000 Uluohia St., #118, Kapolei (808-768-3000)

(M-F:  7:45 am – 4:00 pm)

Gregory House Programs

200 N. Vineyard Blvd., Ste. A310, Honolulu

(By Appointment Only) (808-592-9030)

American Job Center

680 Iwilei Rd., #700, Honolulu

(M-F:  8:30 am – 4:00 pm) (808-768-5701)

HCAP Kalihi Palama District Office

1555 Haka Dr., Ste. 2408, Honolulu

(By Appointment Only) (808-847-0804) (M-F: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm)

HCAP Central District Service Center

99-102 Kalaloa St., Aiea

(By Appointment Only)  (808-488-6834)

HCAP Leeward District Service Center

85-555 Farrington Hwy, Waianae

(By Appointment  Only) (808-696-4261)

Waianae Neighborhood Community Center

85-670 Farrington Hwy., Rooms 5-6, Waianae

(M-F: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm) (808-697-7868)

Waimanalo Health Center

41-1295 Kalaniana`ole Hwy., Waimanalo

(Appointment and Walk-in) (M-F: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm) (808-259-7948)

Susannah Wesley Community Center

1117 Kaili St., Honolulu

(By Appointment Only) (808-847-1535)

NO! We will only accept online application.

Yes, however we cannot issue a Voucher to you if there is still an outstanding balance.

Applicants should have the following information and documents ready before beginning their pre-appication:

  1. Social Security Numbers for All Household Members
  2. Household Members’ Gross Incomes and Names of Employers
  3. Household Members’ Cash Value of Assets and Annual Income received from them (Example: Checking and/or Savings Accounts, Stocks, Bonds, CDs, Investments, Real Estate, etc…)
  4. Household Members’ Dates of Birth
  5. Some “Yes” or “No” questions will be asked regarding Public Assistance history and Criminal history for Adult Members of the Household.
  6. Emergency Contact Information (Optional)
  7. Working E-mail address

Applicants can go to www.waitlistcheck.com and follow the instructions.

The public notice lists the income limits for eligibility.  For a detailed list of all program requirements, please refer to our website at: https://www8.honolulu.gov/dcs/cad/

EXCERPT from the web page…

To be eligible for the program, the applicant family must:

  • Meet current income limits
  • Fall within the definition of a family
  • Provide a Social Security Number for all household members
  • Declare and provide evidence of citizenship status
  • Not be a registered sex offender
  • Not have been convicted of producing and manufacturing methamphetamines

We will select 3,000 households from the applicant pool. Those who submit a preapplication online will be able to monitor their status.

Yes!

Yes. If you are placed on the waiting list and you are a Family certified as receiving housing assistance through a program for the homeless administered by the City and County of Honolulu, you will have a preference. No more than twenty-five percent of the Vouchers issued in one year shall be allocated to homeless Families under this preference.

You may apply as long as you meet the income and eligibility requirements. However if you do not currently live on Oahu and are offered a housing choice voucher from us, you will have to lease a place on Oahu for the initial minimum term.

The Section 8 voucher is not transferable.

YES. We will completely exhaust the current waiting list first before going to the new waiting list.

Approximately 40-50% of families currently being processed off the waitlist have stated that they intend to rent their current unit. A big factor in renting a new place is the requirement for a security deposit. Section 8 does not provide a deposit so families must rely on savings or assistance from family to provide the deposit.

More information

  Small Area Fair Market Rents 

 
    Payment Standards  (Click here for definition)

 

  Allowances for Tenant Furnished Utilities and Other Services

 See Also:

Housing Choice Voucher :   This is the largest part of the Section 8 program, with nearly 3,800 units.  Vouchers are tenant-based assistance which means the subsidies travel with the family as they move to various locations (portability) within the United States and its territories.  Read more on housing choice voucher here.

      • Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher:For more information on the Housing Choice Voucher program (Section 8) click here.   Check the status of your City and County of Honolulu, Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher application by clicking on this link: www.waitlistcheck.com.   An ACTIVE status means that your application has been randomly selected for the wait list.  An INACTIVE status means that your application was not randomly selected.   All applicants will receive notification of their status via postal mail or electronic (email) mail in October through December, if not earlier.  Please wait for the notification before contacting the agency.  If you have questions regarding your application, please email us at: cchs8@honolulu.gov

      • Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher On-Line Application:  The Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program will be accepting pre-applications to the Waitlist from Monday, February 6, 2023, 7:45 a.m. through Friday, February 10, 2023, 4:30 p.m (HST).

      • Testimonials and Advantages of being an owner/landlord of the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program can be found here.

      • Owner/Landlords — Housing Assistance Payments:  

        Information for prospective and active Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program owners/landlords/property managers of rental property can be found here.

        • You can now check your housing assistance payments online at www.hapcheck.com.

          • To access this secure system, enter www.hapcheck.com into your Web browser.  

          • Use the boxes on the right side of the screen to log into the system using your Tax ID (Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number). 

          • Your temporary password is your Section 8 account number which begins with H8XXXX.  

          • You will be prompted to enter a new password which you will use to access the system in the future.

Disability Vouchers (Mainstream):  This program is designed to provide housing assistance to very low income families with adults with disabilities.  PHA staff will assist participants in locating accessible units and provide referrals to organizations that specialize in assistance for person with disabilities, including financial assistance for unit modifications.  Read more on disability voucher here.

Enhanced Voucher Assistance:  These are special vouchers available to tenants who would otherwise be adversely affected by HUD program decisions.  Enhanced vouchers are generally issued to provide continued assistance for a family at the termination of project-based rental assistance.  If the family stays in the same project, the voucher payment standard covers the full market rent.  Enhanced vouchers have several special requirements, but in all other respects are subject to rules of the tenant-based voucher program. Differences include a special statutory minimum rent requirement and a special payment standard, applicable to a family receiving enhanced voucher assistance that elects to stay in the same unit, which can sometimes result in a PHA approving a unit that would otherwise be unaffordable to a family with regular tenant-based assistance.  If the family moves, all normal voucher rules apply.  Read more on enhanced voucher assistance here.

Family Unification Program (FUP): This program provides Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) to youth at least 18 years old and not more than 24 years old who: 

  • Left foster care at age 16 or older and
  • Are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

FUP vouchers are limited to 36 months of housing assistance and allow youth to lease decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private housing market. This program requires a referral from Hale Kipa. 

Moderate Rehabilitation Program:  This program is designed to achieve two objectives – longer term affordable housing and improving rental property conditions.  Participating property owners agree to rehabilitate their properties to meet federal Housing Quality Standards and participate in the program for fifteen years.  Academy Gardens located at 1302 Victoria Street have 39 studio units.  

Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program: The FSS program helps families and individuals receiving Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) assistance increase their earned income, build financial capability and assets, and reduce their dependency on welfare assistance, rental subsidies and homeownership subsidies. Participants work with an FSS Case Manager to create a step by step plan toward their employment goals and are linked with existing community services for education and job training, employment, financial planning, homeownership counseling and other social services assistance or support services needed to achieve economic independence.  Under FSS, participants may have the opportunity to start an FSS savings account as their rent share increases due to increases in earned income.  The FSS program will maintain the savings account and make the balance available to the participant upon successful completion of the FSS Contract.

Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) and Family Unification Program (FUP) Demonstration: 

The purpose of this program is to increase opportunities for eligible youth receiving housing assistance under the FUP Program with support to achieve self-sufficiency. Program participants with a FUP voucher who enroll and participate in the FSS Program will be able to extend their housing assistance to match the length of the FSS contract, which is typically 5 years.

Family Self-Sufficiency Newsletters

2023 FSS Newsletter

2022 FSS Newsletter

2021 FSS Newsletter

2020 FSS Newsletter

2019 FSS Newsletter

2018 FSS Newsletter

2017 FSS Newsletter

2016 FSS Newsletter

2015 FSS Newsletter

2014 FSS Newsletter

2013 FSS Newsletter

Classes offered by the Section 8 Branch

Advantages of Participating in the Section 8 Program:

This session reveals the process and point out the good points to prospective landlords, including competitive rent pricing and benefits of consistent monthly federal payments.

Housekeeping Basics:

This session provides families with helpful cleaning tips and suggestions to maintain and properly improve their decent, safe, and sanitary units.

How To Be A Good Renter:

This session explains the basic tasks such as shopping for property, negotiating with the landlord, paying rent on time, notifying landlords of needed repairs, cleanliness, and respecting neighbors.  For first-time renters and current participants.

Owner’s Briefing

This session helps explain the updated mandatory legislative and regulatory provisions of the HCV Program to others among your PHA Board, staff, and community.

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