What is the New York State Homeowner Assistance Fund (NYS HAF)?

The American Rescue Plan passed by Congress in March of 2021 provided New York with funds to help homeowners at risk of default, foreclosure, and displacement as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The NYS HAF program is being administered by the NY State affordable housing agency, NYS Homes & Community Renewal (HCR), in partnership with Sustainable Neighborhoods LLC, a non-profit dedicated to foreclosure prevention and homeownership preservation.

Who is eligible to apply?

Under NYS HAF, homeowners are defined as New York State residents who own a home and occupy that home as their primary residence (meaning it is where you live for the majority of every calendar year).

Types of eligible homeowners include: Mortgaged homeowners who are in a forbearance plan or were offered a forbearance plan that has expired; this may be a first and/or a second mortgage. Mortgaged homeowners who were not offered a forbearance plan, or missed the option to apply for one, and are considered delinquent on their first or second mortgage. Homeowners who are behind on payments for property taxes, water bills, or sewage bills. Coop or condo homeowners who are behind on monthly carrying charges such as maintenance fees or homeowner association payments. Homeowners who live in manufactured homes and who are behind on home loans, retail installment contracts used to purchase their homes or monthly lot rent payments.

Are there restrictions for who can apply based on income?

Homeowners whose household income is equal to or less than 100% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and who are at risk of foreclosure and/or displacement due to financial hardship as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic are eligible to apply (See chart HERE) for AMI by county and household size).

Do I need to live at the property to receive assistance?

Eligible applicants must currently own and occupy the property as their primary residence.

Can I apply if I am current on my mortgage or other housing payments?

Under the federal rules for HAF, an applicant must be at least 30 days behind on their monthly housing payments (mortgage payments, property taxes, condo or coop fees, etc). There is one exception to this rule: If you are current on your monthly housing payments, but you are currently unemployed, you can apply for up to 6 months of future housing payments.

Can I apply if I accepted a mortgage modification because I was behind on my housing payments due to COVID?

Yes. A homeowner who has struggled after January 20, 2020, to make mortgage payments because of COVID and who accepted a mortgage modification to resolve their delinquency can apply. In these situations, we will evaluate if the ongoing monthly mortgage payment is unaffordable according to NYS HAF guidelines, and if so, we will attempt to help the homeowner lower monthly payments.

Can I apply if I am currently in a legal proceeding for missed housing payments?

Yes. If you are currently in foreclosure, or in another type of legal proceeding, you may still apply for assistance under the NYS HAF. Homeowners who are in active legal proceedings are encouraged to apply as soon as the program opens, and NYS HAF may also assist in connecting you to free legal services support if you are not already represented by an attorney.

If I have a mortgage, do I have to wait to get help from my bank before applying for NYS HAF?

No. You should apply for NYS HAF as soon as the application portal is open. You should also reach out to your bank today to see what kind of COVID-19 mortgage modification may be available to you. NYS HAF funds can be used to make your monthly payments affordable if your loan can’t be modified or if the modification offer is not affordable on its own.

For mortgaged borrowers, NYS HAF will have to coordinate with the bank or company that services your mortgage, which may add additional time to the process. The case management team will work with applicants and communicate through every step of the process to make sure that applicants know the status of their application and the expected time to complete the process.

I have a mortgage and I am still in forbearance with my bank. Should I apply for NYS HAF assistance?

Yes. You may apply for NYS HAF while you are still in forbearance.

Are land contracts considered the equivalent of mortgages?

If the applicant does not have a chattel loan or retail installment contract commonly found associated with manufactured homes, but rather a “rent-to-own” agreement on a stick-built house, they are eligible to submit a HAF application. For the purposes of HAF, we would consider this a mortgage and ask the applicant to fill out the mortgage section of the application.

What type of assistance is available under the NYS HAF program?

The NYS HAF will provide homeowners who were affected by COVID-19 with several types of support: financial support to address delinquent housing payments, including mortgage payments, property taxes, sewage or water bills, condo and coop fees, and manufactured home loans or monthly lot rents, that result in an affordable outcome; access to a Call Center and case managers who can help you find out about any mortgage relief you may be entitled to and how it will affect your future housing payments; and referrals to professional housing counselors or legal service providers who are experts in this field.

In all cases, the goal of NYS HAF is to help as many New Yorkers as possible STAY IN THEIR HOMES!

If provided, what can the financial assistance be used for?

The funding can be used to: Pay off mortgage payments that are past due Partially pay down the principal mortgage amount needed to make monthly mortgage payments more affordable Pay off property taxes or sewage and water bills that are past due Pay off past due coop or condo homeowner association or maintenance fees Pay off past due manufactured home loan debt (chattel loan or retail installment contracts) or past due monthly lot rents Cover future housing payments for up to six months if the applicant or an adult member of the household is currently unemployed or has exhausted unemployment benefits

How much financial assistance may be available to homeowners who qualify?

Eligible applicants may apply for the amount that they are behind on payments and/or for future housing payments, up to a maximum of $50,000.

My bank offered me a COVID-19 loan modification. Should I take it?

It depends on the new terms and if you can afford your new monthly payments. If you are concerned about your ability to pay your monthly payments, you should apply for NYS HAF. The NYS HAF case managers will help you evaluate any loan modification offer. In addition, NYS HAF may refer you to free expert legal services and housing counseling services to help you decide which option is best for your individual circumstances.

Can I apply for funding to cover upcoming expenses?

Homeowners who are unable to afford their ongoing housing payment obligations due to current unemployment or expiration of unemployment benefits may apply for up to six (6) months of future housing payments. This assistance can be paired with the other types of assistance outlined above, but the total amount of assistance provided to any applicant through NYS HAF may not exceed $50,000.

Will the assistance need to be paid back?

Financial assistance will be structured as a five-year non-interest bearing, non-amortizing forgivable grant. The grant may be repayable if the homeowner sells, refinances, or transfers ownership of the home within five years of receiving the NYS HAF grant. If no resale, transfer, or refinance occurs within five years and the homeowner remains in the home, the grant will be fully forgiven.

I have tenants in my home who have been unable to pay rent. Can the funds be used to cover this?

Applicants who live in a one- to four-unit home and occupy one of the units as their primary residence (where you reside most of every calendar year), and who rent the non-owner occupied units may apply for NYS HAF provided they can demonstrate a delinquency on their current housing payments (e.g., mortgage, property taxes, etc.).

In these cases, NYS HAF will need to verify if they have already received funding under the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) for back rent. NYS HAF financial assistance will not be granted for missed rent payments already satisfied by ERAP.

How do I apply?

Once the application period opens, there are several ways you can apply.

You can visit nyhomeownerfund.org, where you will be able to submit an application online. The application will be available from any device, including a desktop computer, a laptop or a smartphone. You can visit the Application Guide, which provides detailed information about what you will be asked during the NYS HAF application process.

Applications may also be submitted by calling our Call Center, where you can speak to a live operator in one of several languages (see our website homepage at www.nyhomeownerfund.org for a list of languages). These operators will assist you with submitting your application in your primary language.

Do I need a Social Security number to apply?

You do not need a Social Security number to apply and receive funds. However, to make the application as simple as possible, we will ask applicants to provide Social Security numbers to verify income eligibility using NY State Department of Labor wage income data. Providing Social Security numbers will minimize the number of documents that you must supply to establish eligibility. Applicants who do not or cannot provide Social Security numbers will be asked to upload household income information to establish eligibility.

How do I determine who is a member of my household when I am entering my household size?

A: NYS HAF asks for your household size so that we can determine if you meet our income requirements, which vary based on household size. When entering your household size, include individuals who live with you at the primary residence including students who are members of the household but are temporarily away at school. Do not include tenants in your household size.

Is there a deadline to apply?

The application period will be open for 30 days. Prior to opening the application period, NYS HAF will open a Call Center and promote the program to at-risk homeowners. If the program is not fully committed at the end of 30 days, the application period will be extended for at least an additional 30 days.

Will translation be available during the application?

The online application portal and all of our program information will be available in 10 languages. You can find the language options on the homepage of our website at www.nyhomeownerfund.org. For additional language support, contact our Call Center at 1-844-77-NYHAF (1-844-776-9423), where you can connect with a live operator in your native language.

Are there any outside organizations that can assist me with my application?

NYS HAF is working with a network of legal services providers and housing counseling agencies that will provide free services to at-risk homeowners. You can get connected by visiting our website at www.nyhomeownerfund.org and clicking on “Get Local Support” on the menu bar at the top of the home page.

Can I ask a family member or friend to assist me with my application?

Yes. A third party authorized by an eligible applicant may assist you with your application. Applications may be submitted by a friend or relative, a housing counselor or legal representative, or by calling the NYS HAF Call Center at 1-844-77-NYHAF (1-844-776-9423), where a live operator will assist you with submitting your application.

How long will the application process take?

The application is relatively short and is broken into seven (7) short sections.

Once you have submitted the application, it will be reviewed for basic eligibility and to make sure that we have all the information we will need. Depending on the volume of applications we receive, this process may take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, depending on when you apply.

If we need additional information, a case manager will reach out by phone, text, or email (depending on the form of communication you select in the application process). Depending on how quickly you respond and how long it takes you to get us the missing information we are requesting, this process will also take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

During the application processing period, you can log back into your application to check the status of your application and see a history of all the email communication that has been sent to you from the NYS HAF case management staff.

Applicants behind on their mortgage will work with case managers to determine what, if any, assistance your bank or mortgage servicing company is offering. For this reason, these applications will take longer to get to final determination, but you will be in regular communication with your case manager along the way.

How long will the application portal be open?

NYS HAF expects to receive significantly more applications than can be funded by the program. Applications will be accepted for a minimum of 30 days. If the number of applicants exceeds our funding, applications will be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. Application submission does not guarantee you will receive financial assistance.

What documents do I need to apply for NYS HAF?

NYS HAF has tried to minimize the amount of documents you will need to provide to complete an application. Depending on what information you are willing to provide (i.e., Social Security numbers, date of birth, etc.), we may be able to confirm your eligibility with very few documents.

To see a full list of documents that may be necessary to provide, please visit the NYS HAF website at www.nyhomeownerfund.org and click on the Document Checklist tab at the top of the page.

Why does NYS HAF ask for my demographic information?

NYS HAF has a goal that 40% of available funding will be used to serve socially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations. We ask for demographic information to help us track and advance our goal. Socially disadvantaged and vulnerable populations include:

Racial and ethnic minorities who have been subject to housing discrimination, including Black/African Americans, Hispanic/Latinx Americans, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander Americans, Native Alaskan Americans, and Native Hawaiian Americans Applicants with limited English proficiency Senior citizens (defined as 62 years of age or older) Individuals with disabilities Those who lack adequate access to web-based technology
An individual who does not identify with any of the above groups may also be considered socially disadvantaged if their ability to purchase or own a home has been impaired due to diminished access to credit on reasonable terms as compared to others in comparable economic circumstances. An applicant who believes they should be considered socially disadvantaged under this definition may submit a Social Disadvantage Attestation Form.

NYS HAF’s eligibility requirements are the same regardless of whether an applicant is socially disadvantaged/vulnerable or not.

If I disagree with NYS HAF’s decision about my eligibility or award calculation, can I appeal the decision?

Yes. There are two steps to this process. First, you may request a review of the decision by submitting a [Request for Review form]. In the Request for Review form, you will be asked to describe why you disagree with the program’s decision and attach relevant supporting documentation. The program will review your request and reply within 15 business days.

If your Request for Review is denied, you may request a full appeal by submitting an [Appeal] form

Is there a deadline to submit a Request for Review or an Appeal?

Yes. You must submit a Request for Review within 10 business days from the date of the program’s decision. If you submitted a Request for Review and disagree with the determination, you may submit an Appeal form within 10 business days of that decision.

When will I get a response to my Request for Review or Appeal?

We will provide a written response to your Request for Review and/or Appeal within 15 business days of your submission to the program.

Where can I find the NYS HAF policy on Appeals and related forms?

The full policy and associated forms are in the NYS HAF Policy Guide, which can be accessed from the home page of the NYS HAF website at www.nyhomeownerfund.org.