Section 8 Housing Assistance Payments Program

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Admission and Eligibility

Factors of Eligibility · Income Limits at Admission · Definition of  Family · Rent, Housing Subsidy, and Family Share of Rent · Payment Standards

Factors of Eligibility

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 or certify they don't have one for all family members.
• Furnish evidence of citizenship or eligible immigrant status
• Must not be a registered sex offender
• Must not have been convicted of producing and manufacturing of methamphetamines.

Income Limits at Admission

The program provides rental assistance to eligible families at or below the very low (50% of the median income for Honolulu) income limits set by HUD.  Not less than 75% of new admissions must have incomes that are at or below the extremely low (30% of the median income set by HUD for Honolulu) income limits.  The current income limits by number in the household are as follows effective 12/11/2012:

Definition of Family

The Section 8 Program is primarily to help families.  A family is defined as:

• Two or more persons intending to or sharing residency whose income and resources are available to meet the family's needs (including single individuals, with no other children who are pregnant or in the process of securing legal custody of any individual under 18 years of age).
• Persons with disabilities.
• Single person 62 years of age or older.
• Person displaced by government action or occurence of a fire or natural disaster (time limit).
• Remaining member of an eligible family.
• Single individuals who are not elderly, disabled, or displaced.

Elderly, disabled, or displaced applicants and families consisting of 2 or more persons shall have preference over a single person.

Rent, Housing Subsidy, and Family Share of Rent

The amount of rental assistance each family is eligible to receive is based on a payment standard (maximum subsidy based on family size/composition) less the higher of 30% of the family's monthly adjusted gross income or 10% of the family's monthly gross income.

The family's share of rent plus utilities is determined by a formula affected by the payment standard, the gross rent (rent to owner plus utilities paid by the tenant) and the family's income.  New families to the program or a family who is moving to a new unit cannot pay more than 40% of their montly adjusted income towards the gross rent if the gross rent is above the payment standard.

If the family chooses a unit for which the gross rent is at or less than the family's payment standard, the family's share of the gross rent will be the "minimum rent" payment of the higher of 30% of monthly adjusted income or 10% of monthly gross income.  If the gross rent is above the payment standard, the family will pay the "minimum rent" payment plus the amount above the payment standard.

2012 Payment Standard Schedule by bedroom size is as follows:

0	1	2	3	4	5
$1,112	$1,305	$1,591	$2,308	$2,583	$2,971