ATLANTA – State Representative Viola Davis (D-Stone Mountain) seeks to inform her constituents about the state’s mortgage assistance, forbearance plan and rental assistance programs. These programs help DeKalb County homeowners, landlords and tenants prevent foreclosures and evictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Homeowners and renters who have incurred unexpected financial hardships due to the pandemic should know that there are programs in place to help them through this tough time so that they do 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 top priorities. These programs were designed to prevent people from experiencing home foreclosures, evictions and homelessness. It is important to ensure my constituents know that there is financial assistance that they can take advantage of. Struggling homeowners, renters and landlords should look into these programs for relief, 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 experienced financial hardships associated with the coronavirus pandemic. These funds are intended to mitigate mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities and displacement 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 their 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.
The 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 states 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 plan provides a temporary suspension or reduction of mortgage payments for a specific period during a temporary hardship. At the end of the suspension, the homeowner may choose between several options to address the outstanding payments. To learn more about this program and its forbearance plans, please click here.
Furthermore, the state received $989 million from the Federal Emergency Rental Assistance Program to provide relief to those whose finances have been negatively impacted since March 13, 2020. This program provides funds for rental and utility payments. The DCA administers this funding through the Georgia Rental Assistance (GRA) program, which opened in March 2021. The money is distributed directly to landlords and service providers. Eligible applicants will receive up to 18 months of payment relief. Individuals must qualify for unemployment, have experienced financial hardship since March 13, 2020, demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability and have a household income at or below 80 percent of the area median income. The DCA recently hosted a GRA program webinar for renters. A video of the webinar can be found here. More information about the GRA program can be found here. Individuals may also contact rentalassistance@dca.ga.gov or 833-827-7368 for further information.
Additionally, DeKalb County received $25 million from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. This money will be used to fund the Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition program (TLAC), which will provide financial assistance to eligible households for the payment of rent, rent arrearage, utilities, utility arrearage and other housing costs incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DeKalb residents can learn more about the county’s TLAC program here or by calling 404-371-3201.
“I want to thank Commissioner Christopher Nunn and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs and staff for providing this additional funding to our local government in DeKalb County for the Tenant-Landlord Assistance Coalition,” added Rep. Davis.
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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