Bill > HB89

This bill establishes the Teacher Housing Assistance Program to address chronic teacher turnover and recruitment challenges in Hawaii, particularly in hard-to-staff schools. The program will provide housing vouchers up to $500 per month to eligible full-time teachers who have worked in the state for at least one year and commit to teaching at a hard-to-fill school for at least five consecutive years. To qualify, teachers must be employed by the Department of Education or a public charter school, reside in Hawaii, not own additional residential property, and have a household income below a certain percentage of the area median income. These vouchers can be used for rent, mortgage payments, or down payments on a primary residence, and will be awarded through a lottery system if demand exceeds available vouchers. The program will be administered by the Department of Education, which will develop application procedures and verify teacher eligibility. The funding for these housing vouchers will come from the Teachers' Housing Revolving Fund, with the goal of alleviating the financial burden on teachers in a state with a notoriously high cost of living and low teacher salaries relative to living expenses.

Budget and Finance, Education, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=89&year=2026