In early 2021, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law. This law created a Homeowner Assistance Fund, a federal program, to give around $10 billion to the states to help households that are behind on their mortgages and other housing expenses due to COVID-19.
Once the Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund program gets rolling, homeowners who've experienced a financial hardship because of the pandemic will be able to get a portion of the approximately $56 million allocated to the state by submitting an application. This program will use federal money to help eligible homeowners make mortgage payments and pay other home-related costs, like property taxes, homeowners' insurance, and energy costs.
You can use money from the Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund program to pay:
You can get up to $35,000 for mortgage reinstatement and mortgage payment assistance, and up to $10,000 for property charges and utilities.
To qualify for relief from this program, you must have suffered a financial hardship (a material reduction in income or an increase in living expenses) because of the coronavirus pandemic. You also have to meet these guidelines:
Payments from the program go directly to the loan servicer or other approved entity, not to homeowners.
Once the program opens, you can submit your application online. To receive updates about when the program will start, subscribe to the program's mailing list and sign up to get text updates.
In the meantime, you can take steps to get ready to apply once the program begins. Start organizing the documents you'll need, such as your most recent tax return or two most recent paystubs, photo ID, mortgage statement or property tax statement, and utility statements, and put them in a digital format (like a pdf).
Also, find out what type of mortgage you have, like an FHA-insured, VA-guaranteed, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac mortgage. You might qualify for a special loss mitigation option, depending on what entity owns or backs your loan. Call your loan servicer to learn about what alternatives are available.
Be wary if you get an unsolicited offer by phone, mail, email, or text message offering mortgage relief or foreclosure rescue services. Scammers are increasingly targeting homeowners who've been affected by COVID-19. Homeowner Assistance Fund programs are free. If anyone asks you to pay a fee to get housing counseling or to receive foreclosure prevention services from this program, it's a scam.
If you need help with the application process or have questions about the Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund program, call 855-307-KHAF or email KHAF@kshousingcorp.org. Also, review these homeowner resources.
You can also get help from a HUD-approved housing counselor at no cost. To find a counselor near you, go to HUD's website or call 800-569-4287.
Effective date: March 31, 2022