January 25, 2022. The Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP), which will help Vermont homeowners facing pandemic hardships, is now accepting applications. Funded by $50 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the program will provide grants of up to $30,000 per household towards overdue mortgage payments, utility bills, property taxes, and property association charges.
The HAP is being managed through the Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) and expected to run for multiple years to help reduce the long-term risk of foreclosure and home loss.
Passed as a part of ARPA, this program was supported by Vermont’s Congressional delegation, Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders and Congressman Peter Welch.
Earlier in the pandemic, VHFA organized the Mortgage Assistance Program (MAP), which assisted nearly 900 households with a total of $10 million in mortgage and property tax assistance. The additional federal ARPA funding allows the HAP to offer expanded criteria to support homeowners who do not have a mortgage or who have a reverse mortgage, and it will also cover utility bills and homeowner and condominium association fees, to help even more households facing financial challenges.
The program is available to any Vermont homeowner who meets the eligibility criteria, and is not just for VHFA mortgage borrowers. The program is available to Vermont homeowners for expenses related to their primary home, who meet income limits, and who are behind on their bills due to a financial hardship associated with the coronavirus pandemic after January 21, 2020.
Although homeowners need to apply themselves, payments for overdue property taxes and utilities will be made directly to municipalities, which could be a huge benefit for them.
This Vermont Homeowner Assistance Program webpage features social media images, a newsletter description, and a promotional flyer.
More information and application materials are available at vermonthap.vhfa.org.