The Hawaiʻi County Office of Housing & Community Development is responsible for the planning, administration, and operation of all of the County of Hawaiʻi’s housing programs. Our Mission is to provide for the development of viable communities through decent housing, suitable living environments and expanded economic opportunities.

Housing Administrator: Susan Kunz

Ms. Kunz is a graduate of the University of Puget Sound with a B.A. in Business Administration and is the current Housing Administrator for the County of Hawaiʻi Office of Housing and Community Development.

Prior to her recent return to the County of Hawaiʻi Office of Housing and Community Development, Ms. Kunz served as the Executive Director for Big Island Housing Foundation, where she managed six senior and multi-family affordable housing properties. Ms. Kunz has previously served as the Housing Administrator, Assistant Housing Administrator, Grants Management Division Manager and Housing Specialist for the County of Hawaiʻi Office of Housing and Community Development and an Employment Service Specialist for the State of Hawaiʻi Department of Labor and Industrial Relations and comes with over 21 years of experience in the public and non-profit sectors.

Ms. Kunz is a Certified Occupancy Specialist, Certified Tax Credit Specialist and currently holds a real estate license. Ms. Kunz is also a Hawai‘i Island representative for the Board of Directors of the Hawai‘i Public Housing Authority.

Assistant Housing Administrator: Harry Yada

After retiring from the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo in 2016 and 5 years of retirement, Mr. Yada accepted his current position as the Assistant Administrator for the County of Hawaiʻi, Office of Housing and Community Development. He is a graduate of the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo with a Bachelor's in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s in Physics.

Mr. Yada has over 30 years of experience in real estate development and property management in both the private and public sectors. He had held positions with the State of Hawaiʻi, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Land Division, as a Land Agent and District Land Agent for the Big Island. He joined the County of Hawaiʻi and established a new Property Management function within the Department of Finance and was responsible for the initial establishment of the Public Access, Open Space, and Natural Resources Preservation Program. He was also the Director of Real Property with the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo until retiring in 2016.

Private Secretary to Housing Administrator: Jennifer Kuali‘i

Jennifer Kuali‘i and administrative/clerical staff can be reached in our Hilo office.

Office of Housing & Community Development
1990 Kino‘ole Street, Suite 102
Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Tel: (808) 961-8379
Fax: (808) 961-8685
Email: ohcd@hawaiicounty.gov

Housing & Community Development Divisions

Existing Housing (Section 8)

Division Manager:  Kehau Costa

Existing Housing Assistance Programs maximizes the use of existing housing stock within the County of Hawaiʻi by offering expanded opportunities for low-income households for rental assistance and self-sufficiency programs. More information and resources can be found in the Housing Assistance (Section 8) pages.

Grants Management

Division Manager: Royce Shiroma

Grants & Funding provide for maximum community development opportunities through the use of funds from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other appropriate grants and programs. General inquiries regarding Grants Management activities such as Funding Opportunities should be directed to Royce Shiroma at (808) 961-8379 or by email at ohcdcdbg@hawaiicounty.gov.

Community Development

Division Manager: Anne Bailey

General inquiries regarding Community Development such as new affordable housing, or maintenance to existing housing facilities should be directed to the Kona office at (808) 323-4300. Anne Bailey can be reached directly at (808) 323-4303 or by email at Anne.Bailey@hawaiicounty.gov. More information and resources can be found in the Development & Preservation pages. Fair Housing inquiries can be directed to (808) 323-4304 or fairhousing@hawaiicounty.gov.

Community Engagement

Division Manager: Sharon Hirota

Community Engagement activities such as homeless coordination efforts, Financial Empowerment Services, Emergency rental assistance or other related programs should be directed to Sharon Hirota at (808) 961-8379 or by email at ohcdengagement@hawaiicounty.gov.

Accounting/HR

Division Manager: Sharon Espejo

Provides accounting and human resources support for all divisions at OHCD. Accounting staff can be reached at the Hilo office by email at ohcdacct@hawaiicounty.gov or phone at (808) 961-8379.