CONTACT:    David Wallace, Director of Development & Communications

PHONE:         527-8009

E-MAIL:         dawalla@lashaw.org

July 28, 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Legal Aid’s Housing/Section 8 Advocacy Helps the Homeless

Through the advocacy efforts of the Legal Aid Society of Hawaii, and cooperation from the City & County of Honolulu and the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, Section 8 voucher tenants will no longer be strong-armed by landlords to pay exorbitant charges to maintain their housing vouchers.  Previously, whenever a landlord asserted that a tenant on the Section 8 housing subsidy program owed money to the landlord, the tenant’s Section 8 voucher would be suspended and the tenant would be unable to afford to rent a new apartment, a policy that often resulted in homelessness for tenants and in some cases, loss of their housing subsidy.  This occurred even if a landlord’s claims for money due were erroneous or disputed by the tenant. Now, landlords participating in the Section 8 program must go through the same court process that any other landlord on the private market is required to use. 

Anna Williams, her husband, and their four children, had no reason to believe they would encounter problems renting a new apartment with their Section 8 voucher after leaving their previous residence.  That changed when Ms. Williams’ landlord sent her a letter demanding that she pay a number of illegitimate charges, referring to the Section 8 policy that would not allow her to use her Section 8 voucher until she paid up.  Without a way to dispute the charges, and without the money to pay for them, the Williams family became homeless and was forced to live in a van for almost three months while struggling to resolve the issue with their landlord and Section 8. 

The Williams family ultimately sought help from Legal Aid, who contacted the City & County Section 8 program to urge them to change their policy.  “The policy was ripe for abuse by landlords who were looking to force tenants into paying for questionable charges,” said Nhi Tran, a housing attorney at Legal Aid.  Legal Aid pointed out the unfairness of the policy for tenants who were left with the choice of homelessness or paying disputed charges.  Tran also pointed out that the policy violated the due process rights of Section 8 recipients. “If a family’s Section 8 benefits are going to be suspended or terminated, they are entitled to a hearing to dispute the termination.  The policy was depriving tenants of that right.”

The City & County evaluated Ms. Williams’ situation and reinstated her Section 8 voucher.  Additionally, after reviewing the issue and similar cases, the Section 8 programs operated by the City & County and the state-run Hawaii Public Housing Authority changed their policies so that they are no longer subject to such abuse.  For the Williams family, one of the first beneficiaries of the change, it is a huge relief.  The Institute of Human Services provided them with money for a security deposit on a new place.  “All the pieces just came together,” Ms. Williams said.  The Williams family now lives in a new apartment in Pearl City. 

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