The State of the Housing Choice Voucher Program in Hawai‘i – UHERO

by Joon Yup Park, UHERO, Sept 16, 2026

Housing Choice Vouchers–commonly known as Section 8–help about 12,000 Hawaiʻi households, roughly 7% of the state’s renters, afford housing in the nation’s most expensive housing market.

Drawing on two decades of administrative records from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, this report provides what is likely the first comprehensive analysis of the program in Hawaiʻi from 2003 to 2024.

It finds that federal spending on tenant-based vouchers has roughly tripled since 2003–about 70% after adjusting for inflation–while the number of households served has grown only about 20%, as rising rents absorbed most of the additional funding.

Meanwhile, only about one in five income-eligible renter households in the state receives a voucher, and the need is growing.

The report also examines who receives vouchers, where they live, how much the subsidy reduces their rent burden, how long families remain in the program, what policy options could expand its reach, and more.

READ >>> Housing Choice Voucher Program in Hawai‘i - UHERO

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