The pandemic has made the last couple of years tough financially for many, however, if you’re a homeowner in Texas and you’ve fallen behind on mortgage, property tax or utility payments, you may qualify for funding through the Texas Homeowner Assistance program.
Administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, the program provides eligible homeowners grants to help cover past due property taxes, insurance, homeowner/condo association fees as well as both past due and future mortgage and utility payments. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 has provided $693 million in federal funding for the program and qualified homeowners do not need to pay this money back.
To qualify, homeowners must have experienced a hardship, such as income loss, after January 21, 2020, and have a household income at or below 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI) or the median income for the US, whichever is greater. The AMI for Dallas and Denton Counties for Fiscal Year 2022 is $90,000 for a household of three people or fewer. The current median income for the US is also $90,000.
Homeowners must also have a total past due balance that is less than or equal to $65,000. Of that $65,000, the full amount can be used for mortgage payments and up to $25,000 can be used for past due property taxes, insurance, or homeowner/condo association fees. Up to $10,000 can be used for utility payments.
Interested homeowners can check eligibility and apply online. There is an extensive checklist to help applicants through the process and the timeline from application to payment is currently 60 – 90 days. Payments are made directly to lenders, tax offices, utility providers, and other entities qualified to receive funding through the program.
For more information and to apply, visit texashomeownerassistance.com or call 833-651-3874 from 8 am – 6 pm, Monday – Friday.