Struggling homeowners facing foreclosure in Pennsylvania can apply for federal aid starting Tuesday, Feb. 1. The state has more than $350 million that homeowners can apply for to use toward mortgage assistance, property taxes, and utility payments so residents can avoid losing their homes.
The money is from the federal American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress last March, part of a $9 billion allocation to states to help homeowners.
The state estimates there’s at least 91,000 households that would be eligible for the program, which aims to provide assistance to in order to “avoid delinquency, default, foreclosure, or displacement.”
To qualify:
- The home must be your primary residence;
- You must have experienced a financial hardship that occurred after Jan. 21, 2020;
- You must have a household income below 150% of the area median income, roughly $127,200 annually for a family of four in Allegheny County
The funds will be paid directly to lenders and mortgage servicers directly, not to homeowners.
The state must spend the money by September 2026.
“We're really excited to be ready to have this program up and launching at full scale,” said Bryce Maretzki, director of policy and planning at the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
There had been some concern that the program took so many months to get up and running.
Additional information about requirements and eligibility is available here.
For more information: www.pahaf.org or call 888-987-2423; the call center will be open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM.
