Our Mission
The Policy Division leads and advances housing policy by coordinating across City departments, informing legislation, and aligning strategies to support the City’s housing goals. Through research, analysis, and collaboration with the City Council and other partners, the team helps shape policies that facilitate housing production, expand inventory, and improve access to housing opportunities.
What We Do
Legislative Policy Analysis
Research, Strategy and Advocacy
Reporting / Data Management
Public Engagement
Addressing Oʻahu’s housing shortage and its impact on affordability, the City and County of Honolulu’s Office of Housing, in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi Economic Research Organization (UHERO), has unveiled the Subsidized Housing Explorer, a first-of-its-kind tool for the island. This interactive tracker consolidates data on government-subsidized housing units across Honolulu County, offering an unprecedented resource for policymakers, stakeholders, and residents.
Latest News
Housing policy, community, and connection: A conversation with Gavin Thornton of DHLM
As DHLM’s first Director of Housing Policy, Gavin Thornton is helping shape the City’s housing policy approach in ways that strengthen and preserve Hawaiʻi’s people, communities, and culture. His work focuses on the rules, strategies, and partnerships that can help build more housing, preserve affordability, and make better use of public land in service of local communities.
Swipe through 2025: DHLM’s year in review
This year, we moved housing forward, planned future neighborhoods, improved how public land is used, and strengthened long-term stewardship across Oʻahu. None of this progress happens without strong partnerships and community voices. Mahalo for being part of the journey — here’s to continued progress in 2026.
Reimagining Iwilei: Unlocking transit-oriented redevelopment on Honolulu’s urban waterfront
The City is partnering with the Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) to tackle one of the most complex brownfield redevelopment challenges in the country—advancing transit-oriented planning in Iwilei alongside Honolulu’s expanding rail system.
DHLM continues to build capacity with key staff across multiple divisions
As the Department of Housing and Land Management (DHLM) continues to take on an expanded role in delivering housing, stewarding public lands, and advancing conservation
Lessons from Seattle: Advancing Transit-Oriented Development in Honolulu
DHLM staff participated in the OahuMPO Project Management Mobile Workshop in Seattle, gaining firsthand insight into how transit and housing planning can be coordinated to support walkable, connected neighborhoods. Lessons learned will help inform ongoing transit-oriented redevelopment efforts around the Kūwili Station area in Iwilei.
Center for Public Enterprise visits Honolulu to support innovative housing finance
From October 22–24, 2025, the Center for Public Enterprise (CPE) visited Honolulu to collaborate with the Department of Housing and Land Management (DHLM) and partners across City and State government on strategies to make housing more affordable and attainable for local families.