Hawaii Public Housing Authority

What Hawaii Public Housing Authority does

The Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA) is a Hawaii state government agency, established under Chapter 356D of the Hawaii Revised Statutes and headquartered in Honolulu, that administers federal and state public housing programs and Housing Choice Vouchers across all four Hawaiian counties. It was originally created as the Hawaii Housing Authority in 1935, merged into the Housing and Community Development Corporation of Hawaii in 1998, and reconstituted as HPHA in 2005. HPHA directly operates 5,406 federal and 864 state public housing units across 85 properties, manages the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program on Oahu, the State Rent Supplement Program, Special Purpose Vouchers for veterans, foster youth, and homeless individuals, and the Family Self-Sufficiency and Section 3 economic opportunity programs. The agency serves approximately 45,000 individuals and provides monthly rental assistance to 6,400 families through 18 Asset Management Project offices statewide.

HPHA's core technology consists of standard government website infrastructure powered by eHawaii.gov/Hawaii Information Consortium, an online rent payment integration with Velocity Payments, and a cloud-based public housing management software platform being procured via RFP-ITO-26-2025. There are no proprietary AI, data, or platform products. The agency's revenue model is fundamentally appropriation-based: it receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for public housing operations, capital improvements, and Housing Choice Voucher payments, supplemented by State of Hawaii appropriations for state public housing and the State Rent Supplement Program. Tenant rent is means-tested at approximately 30% of monthly gross income, and HCV landlords receive guaranteed HPHA payments. Distribution is direct-to-government-beneficiary through the Asset Management Project network, plus a community-led channel recruiting private landlords for the Oahu Section 8 program.

HPHA is governed by an eleven-member Board of Directors appointed by the Governor, with Hakim Ouansafi serving as Executive Director. Its strategic agenda centers on a major public-private redevelopment pipeline including the Ka Lei Momi Project (10,000+ units with Highridge Costa Development Company as Master Developer), the 800-unit School Street senior housing development, the $115.7 million Kūhiō Park Terrace Phase 1 with the City and County of Honolulu, and the 625-unit Kuhio Park Homes partnership with The Michaels Organization. The January 2022 Moving to Work expansion designation provides regulatory flexibilities to design innovative cost-efficiency and self-sufficiency strategies, positioning HPHA as Hawaii's central, statutorily exclusive administrator of federally subsidized affordable housing.

Name

Hawaii Public Housing Authority

Legal name

Hawaii Public Housing Authority

Website

https://hpha.hawaii.gov

Company type

Private

Founded year

1935

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Hawaii Public Housing Authority is the state-administered public housing authority operating federal and state affordable housing programs across all four Hawaiian counties, serving approximately 45,000 individuals through 6,270 public housing units and Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance for 6,400 families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Housing Services

NAICS

Lessors of Residential Buildings and Dwellings (53111)

SIC

Operators Of Apartment Buildings (6513), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Public & Affordable Housing Programs (Subsidies, Vouchers, Public Housing) (BPAIANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Housing Voucher & Rental Assistance Programs (Tenant-Based/Project-Based) (FSALAKAI), Affordable & Subsidized Housing Property Management (LIHTC, Section 8) (BPAJAFAD)

Keywords

• Public housing administration
• Affordable rental housing
• Housing choice vouchers
• Government rental assistance
• Public housing redevelopment

Headquarters

HQ city

Honolulu

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices18 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. HUD Federal Funding: The HPHA receives federal funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to administer federal public housing programs and Housing Choice Voucher programs. Funding supports operations, capital improvements, and rental assistance payments.
2. State Funding: The HPHA receives state funding from Hawaii to administer state public housing programs and the State Rent Supplement Program. State programs operate independently from federal programs.
3. Tenant Rental Payments: Public housing residents pay rent based on their gross income, typically calculated as 30% of monthly gross income minus any deductions. Revenue is reinvested into property maintenance and operations.
4. Housing Assistance Payments from Landlords: For Section 8/Housing Choice Voucher programs, the HPHA makes housing assistance payments directly to landlords on behalf of eligible families, funded by HUD allocations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

HPHA directly operates and manages federal and state public housing across Hawaii (approximately 6,270 combined units in 85+ properties) and administers the Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) program on Oahu, paying rental assistance to private landlords on behalf of eligible low-income families. It also runs a State Rent Supplement Program, Special Purpose Vouchers (VASH, FUP/FYI, EHV, Mainstream/NED), Moving to Work demonstration, and a large-scale development portfolio replacing aging stock with new mixed-use, mixed-income communities.

Product overview

The Hawaii Public Housing Authority (HPHA) operates a portfolio of housing assistance programs organized as a platform-plus-services model. The core offerings include Federal Public Housing (5,406 units) and State Public Housing (864 units) providing income-based rental housing; the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV/Section 8) Program and State Rent Supplement Program offering rental subsidies for private market units; and the Moving to Work demonstration program providing innovation flexibilities. These are supplemented by Special Purpose Vouchers (Mainstream/NED, FUP/FYI, EHV, VASH), the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, and Section 3 economic opportunity initiatives. HPHA also manages major development projects including the School Street Redevelopment (800 units for seniors), Kuhio Park Homes & Low-Rises (625 new units), Mayor Wright Homes (2,814 total units), and the broader Ka Lei Momi Redevelopment Project targeting 10,000+ affordable units statewide. All programs operate across 17-18 Asset Management Property offices serving all four Hawaii counties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Federal Public Housing Federally subsidized rental housing program for eligible low-income families, elderly, and persons with disabilities. HPHA manages 5,406 federal public housing units across the state through 18 Asset Management Projects, with residents paying approximately 30% of monthly gross income as rent.
• State Public Housing State-funded public housing programs including State Family public housing (open to qualified persons of any age) and State Elderly public housing (for qualified persons aged 62 or older), totaling 864 units managed entirely with state funds.
• Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program Federally funded rental assistance program enabling low-income families on Oahu to rent private market dwelling units meeting HUD standards; HPHA pays housing assistance directly to landlords, with families paying approximately 30% of monthly adjusted income toward rent.
• State Rent Supplement (RSP) Program State-funded shallow rent subsidy program providing up to $500 per month to eligible low-income families, operating independently from the federally funded HCV Program.
• Section 8 Landlord Partnership Program Program enabling Oahu rental property owners to participate in the HCV Program; participating landlords receive guaranteed rent payments from HPHA, free regular unit inspections, and access to a steady pool of vetted tenants.
• Ka Lei Momi Redevelopment Project Flagship public-private redevelopment of nine HPHA public housing properties statewide into mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented communities, targeting more than 10,000 new affordable housing units.
• Kūhiō Park Terrace Redevelopment Redevelopment of the Kūhiō Park Terrace public housing site in Kalihi, replacing 60 aging units with 302 new affordable rental units across three mid-rise buildings in partnership with the City and County of Honolulu and Highridge Costa Development Company.
• School Street Affordable Housing for Kupuna Transformation of the 70-year-old, 13-building former HPHA administrative campus at 1002 School Street into mixed-use, affordable housing for seniors (income range 30%-60% AMI), generating 800 new units for kupuna (seniors) affordable in perpetuity.

Quantifiable outcome

• 45,000 individuals served and housed through HPHA programs
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• The City and County of HonolulucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 October 2025The City and County of Honolulu, through its Department of Housing and Land Management, partnered with HPHA and Highridge Costa Development Company for the Kūhiō Park Terrace redevelopment project. The first phase involves $115.7 million investment to replace 60 aging units with 302 new affordable rental units across three mid-rise buildings.
• Highridge Costa Development CompanycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 November 2023Highridge Costa Development Company was selected as Master Developer for the Ka Lei Momi Redevelopment Project, HPHA's flagship public-private partnership initiative to redevelop nine public housing properties across Hawaii and create more than 10,000 affordable housing units. The partnership aims to replace aging public housing with modern, mixed-use, mixed-income, transit-oriented communities.
• The Michaels OrganizationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPHA partnered with The Michaels Organization for the Kuhio Park Homes & Low-Rises redevelopment. The adjacent properties contain 174 federally subsidized units on a 22-acre site in Kalihi. The partnership will build 625 new low-income units over 3 phases, with 174 units of replacement public housing.
• U.S. Department of Veterans AffairscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVA partners with HPHA through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) program, combining Housing Choice Vouchers with VA case management and clinical services for homeless veteran households. VA Medical Centers determine veteran eligibility and provide supportive services.
• Continuums of Care (CoC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPHA collaborates with Continuums of Care statewide to administer Special Purpose Vouchers including Emergency Housing Vouchers and Mainstream/NED vouchers. CoCs provide referrals and coordinated entry system access for homeless and at-risk populations.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• San Francisco Housing Authority: SFHA administers federal public housing and Section 8 in San Francisco. Comparable to HPHA as a high-cost, geographically constrained coastal housing authority focused on rental assistance.
• Seattle Housing Authority: SHA operates public housing, administers HCV, and runs major mixed-income redevelopments in Seattle. Comparable to HPHA in high-cost-market operations and progressive affordable housing redevelopment approach.
• Atlanta Housing Authority: AHA manages public housing operations, HCV program, and major mixed-finance redevelopments in Atlanta. Strong direct peer in P3 redevelopment structure and MTW-style innovation comparable to HPHA's portfolio strategy.
• Chicago Housing Authority: CHA operates federal public housing units and the Housing Choice Voucher program for Chicago. Direct functional peer to HPHA as a municipal public housing authority administering HUD-funded affordable housing programs.
• New York City Housing Authority: The largest PHA in the US, NYCHA administers federal public housing and Section 8 in NYC. Comparable to HPHA as a HUD-funded state/local housing authority operating public housing stock and voucher programs.
• Philadelphia Housing Authority: PHA operates over 13,000 public housing units and the Housing Choice Voucher program in Philadelphia. Direct peer in scale, scope, and program mix to HPHA's statewide housing administration.
• Boston Housing Authority: BHA administers public housing and Section 8 in Boston, MA. Comparable to HPHA in scale, HUD funding structure, and mixed urban/suburban service delivery.
• District of Columbia Housing Authority: DCHA administers public housing, voucher programs, and mixed-finance redevelopment in Washington DC. Closely parallels HPHA's reliance on HUD funding streams and redevelopment-driven housing strategy.
• Los Angeles County Development Authority: LACDA administers public housing, Section 8 vouchers, and affordable housing development across LA County. Closely mirrors HPHA's mix of housing operations, voucher administration, and redevelopment activity.

Broad incumbents

• Hawaii Housing Finance and Development Corporation: HHFDC is HPHA's sister state agency administering low-income housing tax credits, multifamily financing, and state housing development. They share Hawaii housing-policy mission but split development financing (HHFDC) from property operations and voucher administration (HPHA).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/state-of-hawaii

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hawaii Public Housing Authority