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HomeNH Homeowner Assistance Fund Program Launches
March 17, 2022
The federally funded New Hampshire Homeowner Assistance Fund (NH HAF) program established through the Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) has launched and is accepting applications.
The program provides aid to eligible residents of New Hampshire who are struggling to pay their mortgage, property taxes, utility bills, and other housing costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applications will be reviewed for eligibility, and payments to providers are expected to begin later this month. The program is administered by New Hampshire Housing.
To be eligible for the program, homeowners must own and occupy the property as their primary residence; have an income of less than 125% of the Area Median Income for where they live; and experienced a pandemic-related reduction in income or an increase in household expenses that existed after January 21, 2020. The application portal is available at HomeHelpNH.
The NH Homeowner Assistance Fund program offers three types of assistance, with a total maximum benefit per property of $20,000:
- Mortgage Loan Reinstatement – funds for delinquent mortgage payments (maximum benefit – $20,000)
- Property Charges Default Resolution – funds for delinquent property taxes, homeowner insurance, homeowner association or condominium fees/dues, and co-op maintenance or lot rents (maximum benefit – $20,000)
- Utility / Internet Payment Assistance – funds for delinquent utility (electricity, gas, heating fuel costs, and internet payments (maximum benefit – $3,000)
Regardless of a homeowner’s eligibility for the NH Homeowner Assistance Fund, housing counseling and legal services (often at no or low cost) are available to those who require additional assistance. AHEAD, a nonprofit NH agency that offers financial and foreclosure counseling statewide, provides community navigator services to assist homeowners with the application process.
Homeowners who are experiencing immediate threat of foreclosure, tax deed, or sheriff’s sale should contact 603 Legal Aid at (603) 224-3333.
Program guidelines and the application portal are available at HomeHelpNH.
An extensive statewide outreach campaign is underway to inform struggling homeowners, the public, organizations, and service providers about the program. Details about the NH Homeowners Assistance Fund program are available at HomeHelpNH.org.
The NH Homeowner Assistance Fund is a federally funded program through the NH Governor’s Office for Emergency Relief and Recovery and is administered by New Hampshire Housing. The program is being supported, in whole or in part, by a federal award number HAF0014 awarded to the State of New Hampshire by the U.S. Department of the Treasury under the Homeowner Assistance Fund established by Section 3206 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Pub. L. No. 117-2.
Under federal law, this program is only for eligible homeowners. Renters in need of assistance should contact CAPNH.org or call 2-1-1 to apply for the NH Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
About New Hampshire Housing: As a self-supporting public corporation created by the state legislature, New Hampshire Housing promotes, finances and supports affordable housing. New Hampshire Housing has helped more than 50,000 families purchase their own homes and been instrumental in financing the creation of more than 15,000 multi-family housing units.
NHHousing.org | #NHHousing | @NewHampshireHousing | @NHHousing