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Date: 7/30/2020
ENFIELD, CT – The state of Connecticut, through its Department of Housing (DOH) and along with the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) has set a Temporary Mortgage and Rental Housing Assistance program for residents impacted by COVID-19.
These two programs are for families and individuals who were denied unemployment assistance from the Department of Labor. It is intended to address the housing instability caused by COVID, offering assistance to renters to prevent eviction actions and homeowners to prevent foreclosure actions.
Government relations/communications rep Aaron Turner of the Department of Housing said, “Every household in Connecticut has been affected by COVID-19 in some way, but it has been impactful on those individuals and families that have lost their jobs or experienced other financial issues due to the pandemic.”
He continued, “Many renters have fallen behind on their rental obligations, while many homeowners are having issues making their mortgage and/or local property tax payments.”
Households with incomes at or below 120 percent of the area median income will be eligible to apply for up to $25,000 in the form of a second mortgage loan.
Up to $10,000,000 in emergency loan funds will be available to help homeowners pay their housing cost and allow them to remain in their homes as they regain financial stability.
"It is the department’s belief,” Turner replied, “That these programs can forestall either an eviction or foreclosure that is due to the advent of the pandemic and keep people in their homes. It will also help to provide needing funding to landlords and/or financial institutions who may be suffering from their client’s inability to pay their housing costs.”
A household that needs assistance should review the program eligibility at the application website. Then contact the call center and an agent will walk them through basis threshold criteria which will identify those who meet the basic eligibility criteria. This information is transmitted to DOH/CHFA daily for a quality control review and priority evaluation. The caller will receive an email notice that their submission is under review and will be contacted in the near future with regard to their participation in the applicable program. If the caller is eligible, their information is evaluated using programs priorities for assistance. From here the two programs separate and the process are different for each. If the caller is ineligible, they will receive a notice explaining the reason for their ineligibility.
For the time being, Turner said, “Our plan is to serve the people as needed, analyze the program on an ongoing basis and make adjustments as necessary.”
For more information on the Temporary Rental Housing Assistance program go to https://portal.ct.gov/doh and click on the Temporary Housing Assistance Initiatives link where there’s information on program eligibility, priorities and information on participating HUD Certified Housing Counseling Agencies.
For the Temporary Mortgage Assistance program visit https://www.chfa.org.
Either program can be accessed by calling the call center at 1-860-785-3111, where the caller will be taken through a preliminary qualification process.