KCHA Rental Assistance Division provides Kauai tenants with reduced rent

The Kaua‘i County Housing Agency is the primary means of rental assistance to Kauai tenants who are unable to afford regular rental rates. This rental assistance is administered through the agency, which is the local recipient of federal Section 8 funding.

Subsidized Rent Vouchers

Rental assistance comes in the form of long-term subsidized rent payments to your landlord. By presenting the voucher to your landlord, they may redeem the voucher for a portion of the monthly rent payment. You are responsible for the remainder.

Your share depends on your income. To qualify, your total household income must be no greater than half of the median income for Kaua‘i County. You are responsible for providing all income documentation to the agency, including pay stubs and records of any other public assistance received, if any.

The Housing Choice Voucher program is not a public housing project. You can live anywhere you want. You just have to make sure that the rental property you select meets program guidelines. It must be clean and safe. Rent must also be within guidelines to ensure that it is still affordable.

KCHA will provide you with a case manager who will help you locate an apartment and get it approved if it is not already approved. In some cases, a site visit by your case manager may be necessary prior to approval.

In order to help you move forward from subsidized housing, your case manager will work with you to establish goals. These could be related to increasing your savings and boosting your income. You may be invited to also join the Family Self-Sufficiency program, which provides the added incentive of an escrow fund that could be yours if you meet your goals.

Kaua‘i County rental assistance recipients must periodically provide feedback to their case manager in exchange for getting a portion of their rent paid. The purpose is to make sure that they are working to eventually afford their rent without help. The transitional nature of the program is evident by the efforts of case workers who care about the well being of program participants.

If you believe that you or your family may qualify for rent subsidies, you should make arrangements to meet with a case manager. They will interview to determine whether you meet eligibility requirements as well as to determine the appropriate amount of rental assistance for you to receive. To schedule your intake interview, you may call KCHA at 808-241-4440.