SUNnews: The Homeowner Assistance Fund, March 2022

Under ARPA, Connecticut received roughly $123 million to establish MyHomeCT, which is funded by HAF. The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) administers the funds. Eligible homeowners must:

• Be owner-occupants of a primary residence located in Connecticut
• Have HHI equal to or less than 150% of AMI or 100% of the U.S. median income
• Have a conforming loan (based on current loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency)  

On March 11, 2022, the Delaware State Housing Authority submitted a $50 million HAF plan to the U.S. Treasury and is currently waiting for approval. Eligible homeowners must:

• Be owner-occupants of a primary residence located in Delaware
• Have HHI equal to or less than 150% of AMI or 100% of the U.S. median income
• Have a conforming loan (based on current loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency)

In April 2022, Illinois will begin to accept applications from homeowners for grants of up to $30,000 to eliminate or reduce past-due mortgage and property tax payments. Eligible homeowners must:

• Be at least 30 days late on their mortgage or property tax payments
• Have HHI equal to or less than 150% of AMI
• Own and occupy their property as their primary residence

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Developm​ent received $248 million to support the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund for three years. Eligible homeowners must:

• Be delinquent and/or in forbearance for more than 3 months
• Have HHI less than 100% of AMI for a grant or less than 150% of AMI for a loan
• Must be owner-occupants of a primary residence located in Maryland
• Have evidence of the deed of trust

The Massachusetts HAF Program is administered by the Massachusetts Housing Partnership and the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency. Eligible homeowners must:

• Have missed 3 or more mortgage payments due to COVID-related hardship
• Be owner-occupants of a single-family, condominium or two-, three- or four-family primary residence located in Massachusetts
• Have HHI equal to or less than 150% of AMI (differs by region and household size)
• Have a conforming loan (based on current loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency)

On April 14, 2021, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) received $242,812,277 to support the Michigan HAF (MIHAF) program. Eligible homeowners must:

• Have HHI less than 150% of AMI
• Own and occupy the property as their primary residence

Developed by the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency (NJHMFA), the New Jersey Emergency Rescue Mortgage Assistance (ERMA) program provides up to $35,000 per household for COVID-related housing expenses. Eligible homeowners must:

• Own and occupy an eligible one- to four-unit primary residence
• Have been unable to remain current on mortgage payments
• Have been current on mortgage and property taxes as of January 2020

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) allocated roughly $25 million in HAF funds to the Save the Dream Ohio program. Eligible homeowners must:

• Have HHI below $112,375
• Owe less than $432,500 on their mortgage
• Have received unemployment benefits since January 1, 2014
• Have been discharged from any bankruptcies

Under ARPA, the U.S. Treasury allocated $350 million to the Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund (PAHAF). Eligible homeowners must:

• Be owner-occupants of a one- to four-unit primary residence located in Pennsylvania
• Have HHI equal to or less than 150% of AMI (and meet income prioritization guidelines)
• Have a conforming loan (based on current loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency)  

Due to a high volume of applications outpacing available funds, the Homeowner Assistance Fund Rhode Island (HAF-RI) program was suspended on March 14, 2022. RI homeowners seeking assistance are encouraged to:

• Contact a HUD-approved housing counselor or the RIHousing HelpCenter to discuss available options, such as loan modifications, repayment plans and/or referral to RI Legal Services
• Explore opportunities to restructure their mortgage
• Contact Community Action Program (CAP) agencies about available utility assistance

The Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) received $92 million in federal funding to provide a maximum of $40,000 in assistance for eligible households. Eligible homeowners must:

• Be owner-occupants of a primary residence one-, two- three- or four-family, duplex, condo or manufactured home located in Wisconsin
• Have HHI equal to or less than 100% of AMI (and meet income prioritization guidelines)
• Have a conforming loan (based on current loan limits set by the Federal Housing Finance Agency) 

Under the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, it is illegal to discriminate in any credit transaction:

Deny a loan for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling, or to deny any loan secured by a dwelling; or discriminate in fixing the amount, interest rate, duration, application procedures, or other terms or conditions of such a loan, or in appraising property.

If you believe you have been discriminated against, send a complaint to:

Consumer Finance Protection Bureau
1700 G Street
Washington, DC 20552

1-855-411-2372 (voice), 1-855-729-2372 (TTY)
More than 180 languages available

Under the Federal Fair Housing Act, it is illegal, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, handicap, or familial status (having children under the age of 18) to:

Deny a loan for the purpose of purchasing, constructing, improving, repairing or maintaining a dwelling, or to deny any loan secured by a dwelling; or discriminate in fixing the amount, interest rate, duration, application procedures, or other terms or conditions of such a loan, or in appraising property.

If you believe you have been discriminated against, send a complaint to:

Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Washington, DC 20410

1-800-669-9777 (voice), 1-800-927-9275 (TTY)

For processing under the Federal Fair Housing Act