The American Rescue Plan Act provides up to $50 million for Vermont to provide relief for homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. Using these funds, VHFA will launch the Vermont Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) this fall to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services and displacement. A prescreening tool is now available to help homeowners learn about the types of assistance and eligibility guidelines for the upcoming Vermont HAP.
On August 13, 2021, VHFA released the draft Homeowner Assistance Fund plan for submission to the U.S. Treasury describing homeowner needs and proposed programs to be offered through the Vermont HAP. The plan is based on data pertaining to homeowner needs and input provided by community and state organizations committed to serving low and moderate income Vermont homeowners. On August 2, 2021, the U.S. Treasury provided states with guidance and materials for preparing the draft Homeowner Assistance Fund plan.
On June 30, 2021, VHFA released a draft program description and program income limits.
To incorporate feedback about homeowner needs and ways to best meet these needs in the design of the Vermont Homeowner Assistance Program, VHFA collected written comments and conducted a series of public meetings:
- Tuesday, June 1, 2021, at noon (Recording, Meeting materials)
- Thursday, June 3, 2021, at 5 PM (Recording, Meeting materials)
- Tuesday, June 22, 2021 at noon (Recording, Meeting materials)
- Thursday, August 19, 2021 at noon (Recording, Meeting materials)
On June 30, 2021 VHFA stopped accepting applications for the Vermont COVID Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program due to limited federal funds made available through the CARES Act.
Subscribe to receive email updates about the program. We will let you know when the program begins accepting applications.