WAILUKU, Maui — Wayde Oshiro has been named housing administrator for the Maui County Department of Housing and Human Concerns, effective April 16.

Oshiro will oversee all of the housing-related functions and programs within the county's Housing Division, including federal programs such as the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program, Home Investment Partnerships Program, Economic Development Initiatives-Special Projects Grant funds as well as the Affordable Housing Fund Program and the First Time Homebuyer's Downpayment Assistance Program.

Oshiro will also oversee the monitoring of housing developments with affordable housing requirements including buy-back provisions; implement the Residential Workforce Housing Policy; review and comment on residential building permit applications, preliminary subdivision approval requests, change in zoning or special use requests and draft environmental assessments; process 201-H-38 applications and provide management oversight of the County's affordable rental project, Komohana Hale in Lahaina.

The Housing Administrator position was vacated in July, 2007, when the previous administrator retired after 36 years of service. "It has been a long process requiring two rounds of recruitment," said Housing and Human Concerns Director Vanessa Medeiros. "We had a strong field of candidates for this position and each candidate brought with them unique strengths. We felt that Mr. Oshiro provided the department with the best opportunity to hit the ground running and shorten the learning curve."

Oshiro is a 16-year veteran of the county's Housing Division and has more than 23 years of housing-related experience including a stint with the state's public housing agency. For the past 10 years, Oshiro has been the program coordinator of the County's HOME program, which has received more than $8 million in federal funds to provide affordable housing and downpayment assistance to families earning 80 percent and below of the county's median income.