Available in several languages, toolkit assists community organizations to encourage California homeowners to apply for $1 billion in federal mortgage assistance funds

The California Mortgage Relief Program, which launched at the end of 2021, released a new toolkit encouraging community organizations to help raise awareness about this new financial resource for homeowners who are behind on housing payments as a result of financial hardships stemming from the pandemic.

“Community groups have their fingers on the pulse of our neighborhoods and deeply understand the struggle many homeowners have faced over the past two years,” said Rebecca Franklin, President of CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation. “Because these groups work closely with many of the homeowners who would benefit from the California Mortgage Relief Program, we want to provide essential resources they can share within their communities.”

The multi-cultural toolkit is available in several languages and includes program flyers and social media posts with important information, such as where and how to apply, who is eligible and where applicants can find assistance. It is available to community groups at CaMortgageRelief.org/partner-resources.

“Helping our community members with the mortgage relief plan benefits the entire community economically,” said Pharaoh Mitchell, CEO of the Community Action League. “When homeowners are able to save their homes, that keeps them in our community and they're able to redirect the money they save to other areas of their budget, such as their savings or to buy consumer goods. Helping homeowners save their homes is not only good for the homeowner, it's good for our community economically in general.”

Since launching on December 27, 2021, a robust outreach and engagement effort has been underway to encourage qualified California homeowners to apply for this federally funded program that covers past due mortgage payments in full, up to $80,000. This one-time grant, which does not have to be repaid, gives homeowners a fresh start. The program also covers reverse mortgage holders who are behind on their property taxes or forced hold insurance payments. Full eligibility requirements and the online application portal can be found at CaMortgageRelief.org.

"Promotores in our community are so important to keep us informed about what programs exist and how we can access them,” Vision y Compromiso said in a statement. “Unfortunately, there is a lot of fear and misinformation, so many people do not use services that can help them. Especially since so many people lost their jobs during the pandemic, this mortgage relief program will help many families. But we have to get the word out so that people who may not have information about what programs are available in their counties can get the help they need.”

Using $1 billion in federal funds, the California Mortgage Relief Program was created in late 2021 as part of American Rescue Plan of 2021’s Homeowner Assistance Fund. The program is run by the CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation as part of the state’s Housing is Key initiative.

The California Mortgage Relief Program is run by the CalHFA Homeowner Relief Corporation (CalHRC), a special-purpose affiliate of the California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA). CalHRC has been designated as the agency to disburse the State of California’s allocation from the American Rescue Plan Act’s Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF), in accordance with the state plan that was approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.

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