ATLANTA – State Representative Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain) seeks to educate homeowners in House District 87 about the state’s mortgage assistance and forbearance plan programs to help prevent foreclosures and evictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Homeowners who have incurred unexpected financial hardships due to the pandemic should not have to choose between feeding their families and foreclosing on their homes,” said Rep. Davis. “Keeping my constituents, especially those with children, in their homes is one of my absolute top priorities. These programs were designed to help keep people from experiencing home foreclosures, evictions and homelessness, so all struggling homeowners should look into these programs, even those who are unsure if they would qualify.”
Administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) was established to help homeowners who incurred financial hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic. These funds will be provided to mitigate mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities and displacements of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. According to the DCA, homeowners who need immediate assistance should work with their servicer or discuss options with a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development approved counselor. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 allocates $353 million for this program. To learn more about the HAF program, please click here. To receive a notification from the DCA that the Georgia HAF program has opened, please sign-up here.
Likewise, DCA also oversees the State Home Mortgage forbearance program for homeowners who have struggled financially during the pandemic. The passage of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act stipulates that every borrower who attests that they have been directly or indirectly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of delinquency, is entitled to a forbearance plan. The State Home Mortgage forbearance plans provide a temporary suspension or reduction of mortgage payments for a specific period during a temporary hardship, such as unemployment. At the end of the suspension, the homeowner is able to choose between several options to address the outstanding payments. To learn more about this program and its forbearance plans, please click here.
Representative Viola Davis represents the citizens of District 87, which includes portions of DeKalb County. She was elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 and currently serves on the Natural Resources & Environment, Insurance, Interstate Cooperation and Science and Technology committees.
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