City partners with UHERO to launch Subsidized Housing Tracker

News release from UHERO, Jan 16, 2025

HONOLULU – Addressing Oʻahu’s housing shortage and its impact on affordability, the City and County of Honolulu’s Office of Housing, in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), has unveiled the Subsidized Housing Explorer, a first-of-its-kind tool for the island. This interactive tracker consolidates data on government-subsidized housing units across Honolulu County, offering an unprecedented resource for policymakers, stakeholders, and residents.

The housing crisis on Oʻahu continues to affect thousands of families. The median sales price of a single-family home exceeds $1.1 million, and median rents approach $2,000. According to the Hawai‘i Housing Factbook, 58% of Oʻahu renters are rent-burdened, spending more than 30% of their income on housing. In comparison, 29% are severely rent-burdened, allocating over half their income to rent.

To combat this crisis, the City has implemented various programs, including Bill 7, which provides property tax exemptions, increases building density, and relaxes building standards for affordable rental projects. The Subsidized Housing Explorer furthers these efforts by offering a centralized database that tracks over 50 government programs and more than 35,000 cost-restricted units across 332 properties.

“This tool is a major step forward in our ongoing efforts to make housing more affordable for Oʻahu’s residents,” said Kevin Auger, Executive Director of the Office of Housing. “By consolidating and visualizing data on subsidized housing, the Subsidized Housing Explorer provides critical insights to support effective policy decisions.”

The Explorer identifies properties across Oʻahu participating in federal, state, and local housing programs. The Honolulu metro area has nearly 20,000 cost-restricted units, reflecting its dense population and housing demand, while the west side contains approximately 9,000 units. To ensure the tool focuses on long-term housing solutions, properties such as temporary housing shelters and those intended for victims of domestic violence are excluded.

“By bringing together detailed information on subsidized housing programs, this tool enables us to bridge gaps in understanding and improve the ways we tackle housing affordability,” said Rachel Inafuku, UHERO Research Economist. “We hope it will serve as a resource for policymakers, researchers, and residents working toward long-term solutions to Oʻahu’s housing challenges.”

The Subsidized Housing Explorer page offers a CSV file containing detailed data and a comprehensive list of government programs for download. This information enables users to make data-driven decisions that improve housing affordability.

For more information about the Subsidized Housing Explorer, visit here.