Assistance Fund can provide help to homeowners impacted by the pandemic

FLORIDA – Secretary Dane Eagle of the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has announced that the Department has launched the state’s next phase of the Homeowner Assistance Fund program, a registration portal for homeowners to begin the first step in determining their eligibility to receive assistance.

“The state of Florida is proud to announce the launch of the next phase of the Homeowner Assistance Fund program. This is another important step forward to continue helping Florida homeowners who have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic through no fault of their own,” said Secretary Dane Eagle.

“These funds will help the state’s homeowners become current on their mortgages and other homeowner expenses and will help prepare Florida families for future financial stability.”

To date, DEO has provided more than $1 million in assistance to 137 Florida homeowners through the pilot program to mitigate financial hardships following the pandemic.

The portal can be found at www.FLHomeownerAssistance.org.

This next phase of the state of Florida’s Homeowner Assistance Fund program comes on the heels of the United States Department of the Treasury’s (U.S. Treasury) approval of the state’s Homeowner Assistance Fund Needs Assessment and Plan.

Through the pilot program, DEO works with service providers in the banking, property insurance, and utilities industries to identify customers who may be eligible to receive assistance. DEO, in turn, works directly with those homeowners to determine their eligibility for the program and provide assistance.

Florida homeowners who are eligible for the program include those who have experienced a financial hardship after, or that continued after, January 21, 2020, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, meet the income qualifications, and are homeowners requesting assistance for their primary residences.

This registration process will help to ensure that eligible Florida homeowners receive assistance as quickly and efficiently as possible. Florida homeowners who believe they may be eligible are encouraged to register. Many Florida homeowners have already experienced the positive impact that this fund can offer other eligible participants in the program.

“I fell and broke my hip and was unable to pay for my homeowner’s insurance. If I could not make that payment, I would have been in default with my mortgage,” said Linda T., a homeowner assisted by the Homeowner Assistance Fund pilot program through Citizens Property Insurance Corporation.

“Thankfully the HAF program helped me with my payment, so I did not lose my house. It came in at the right time for me, that’s for sure!”

“It helped me a lot because I had gotten an extension on my electricity bill, but it had come due and I did not know how I was going to pay it,” said Leah B., a homeowner assisted by the Homeowner Assistance Fund pilot program through Duke Energy.

“Then the HAF funds came in just in time. The process was painless and very easy.”

Once a homeowner’s registration has been reviewed and the homeowner is determined as potentially eligible, an email with detailed information will be sent for the homeowner to complete the next step of the application process.

The Homeowner Assistance Fund was created to mitigate financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing homeowners’ mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and displacement, as well as loss of utilities, home energy services, and insurance.

Learn more and register to participate by visiting www.FLHomeownerAssistance.org.

About the Homeowner Assistance Fund

The Homeowner Assistance Fund is designed to mitigate financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing homeowners’ mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and displacements, as well as loss of utilities, home energy services, and insurance. Financial assistance will be provided based on the needs of homeowners in Florida.