$354 Million Available to Georgia Homeowners for Mortgage and Utilities
The State of Georgia received $354 million from the U.S. Treasury’s Homeowner Assistance Fund, established by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. Homeowners in Georgia who were affected by the Covid-19 crisis and need a mortgage and/or housing expense assistance can now apply for the Georgia Mortgage Assistance program. This program is administered by the Department of Community Affairs (DCA). Assistance is capped at $50,000.00, payable to the lender or loan servicer.
Find out if you qualify for these programs here.
“This, what we’re doing, says help is on the way,” Democratic Rep. David Scott said in a news conference. “Over the past few months, I have worked closely alongside Commissioner Sam Nunn and community partners to connect Georgia homeowners in crisis with their share of the $10 billion Homeownership Assistance Fund I secured in the Biden Administration’s American Rescue Plan. With today’s launch of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs’ new homeowners’ assistance portal, thanks to our federal-state collaboration, Georgia’s working and middle-class homeowners who had a stroke of bad luck last year due to COVID-19 will be able to remain in the communities they love.”
The Georgia Homeowner Assistance Fund will assist homeowners with their mortgage, delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and past-due utilities. These funds can be provided in three ways:
- Up to 3 months of mortgage payments to help with forbearance or delinquency;
- Up to 3 months of mortgage payments for a permanent loss of income, “to allow recast, modification or other loss mitigation options” with your loan;
- Housing-related expenses to catch up on payments such as property taxes, homeowner insurance, condo or HOA fees, and utility payments.
Find out if you qualify for these programs here.
Mortgage assistance is for the first lien, but some second liens may be considered depending on the type of the lien and the type of assistance being requested.
Who Is Eligible for the Georgia Homeowner Assistance Fund program?
All applicants, the mortgage, and the property must meet all eligibility requirements to be considered for assistance. To be eligible, homeowners must have experienced financial hardship after January 21, 2020. The property must be located in the State of Georgia and must be the primary residence and have been purchased, owned, or inherited prior to the hardship. The income of the homeowner, borrower, and spouse residing in the home must be equal to or less than 100% Area Median Income for their county of residence (150% or less AMI for Socially Disadvantaged Individuals). Find your AMI using this Area Median Income Lookup Tool.
If you are eligible for this program and wish to apply, start by visiting their official website and filling out the prescreening Questionnaire. For more information, call 770-806-2100 or email HAF@dca.ga.gov.
