The Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) program provides funding to government entities to assist eligible homeowners who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic to pay their mortgage and other qualified expenses related to mortgages and housing.
HAF assistance is provided to eligible homeowners that apply through their respective state, the District of Columbia (DC), territories’ housing finance agencies, Tribe, or Tribally Designated Housing Entities’ (TDHEs) HAF program.
HOW FUNDING WORKS UNDER THE HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Treasury is authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act to provide a HAF award to:
- States
- DC
- U.S. Territories
- Tribes or their TDHEs
- Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL)
These HAF recipients distribute HAF assistance to eligible homeowners to cover qualified expenses related to mortgages and housing.
Depending on the program, homeowners may use the HAF assistance for expenses such as, mortgage payments (including past-due payments), property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, homeowners’ association fees, utilities (such as, electricity, gas, home energy, water, and wastewater), internet service, and certain home repairs.
Homeowners may contact their respective state, DC, Tribal, or territorial HAF Program with complaints or appeals regarding their HAF application for assistance. If you have complaints about your servicer or financial institution, please see the CFPB’s Complaint Portal.
Find out more information about how HAF programs work and discover other “Help for Homeowners” resources available through the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
Find homeowner assistance
View information about how to connect with homeowner assistance near you.
CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLAINTS
To file a program discrimination complaint about a Homeowner Assistance Fund, send your complaint to:
Director, Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity
1500 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W.
Washington, DC 20220
What the Department of the Treasury will do to ensure nondiscrimination
The Department of the Treasury will conduct investigations of civil rights complaints of discrimination based on race, color, national origin, disability, age, or sex, filed against recipients of financial assistance under any of its financial assistance programs. If discrimination or noncompliance is found, the Department of the Treasury can defer action on an application for federal financial assistance, issue a cautionary letter, or as an ultimate consequence deny funding. Independently of any possible actions to be taken by the Department of the Treasury, courts have interpreted that Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and other applicable federal civil rights statutes provide a private right of action.
REPORT FRAUD, WASTE, AND ABUSE
To report fraud, waste, or abuse related to the HAF programs, please click on the following link to Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG).
Report Fraud, Waste and Abuse to Treasury
FUNDING TO STATES, LOCAL, TERRITORIAL, AND TRIBAL GOVERNMENTS
The purpose of the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) is to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services, and displacement of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020.