Federal housing officials give Honolulu perfect score and ‘High Performer’ rating for Section 8 program

News Release from City and County of Honolulu, December 21, 2016

Honolulu – The City and County of Honolulu, the largest housing authority in Hawai‘i that administers a Housing Choice Voucher Program, has once again been designated as a “High Performer” by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section Eight Management Assessment Program (SEMAP).

“This High Performer designation is a tribute to the continued hard work and commitment of Director Gary Nakata, his Community Services staff and other supporting agencies,” said Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “HUD again affirmed that Honolulu is successfully using nearly $50 million in federal funds to provide housing for 3,700 families in need each year. Through the efficient administration of this program, the city is preventing vulnerable households from falling into homelessness.”

Honolulu received a perfect score of 145 points in achieving the designation as a “High Performer.” The city’s program provides low-income households with a federal rent subsidy to rent units in the private market, with participants paying approximately 30 percent of their adjusted income. The city’s program currently serves 3,700 families in partnership with over 1,400 landlords, disbursing $4 million each month into Honolulu’s economy.

“This designation demonstrates ongoing compliance with a multitude of federal program requirements,” said Department of Community Services Director Gary K. Nakata. “I am proud of our Rental Assistance Branch staff who do this work with aloha. I congratulate our staff on a job well done assisting O‘ahu’s vulnerable families. We have been named a ‘High Performer’ for the sixth time in as many years.”

The SEMAP rating is awarded each year based on fourteen indicators, including selection from the waitlist, reasonable rent, determination of adjusted income, utility allowance schedule, housing quality standards, quality control, housing quality standards enforcement, expanding housing opportunities, payment standards, timely annual reexaminations, tenant rent calculations, timely inspections, annual inspections, lease-up, family self-sufficiency, and de-concentration.

For more information on the city Section 8 program, please visit www.honolulu.gov/dcs/housing.

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