The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) has announced two initiatives to help households impacted by disasters.
HUD has extended the foreclosure moratoriums for Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured Single Family Title II forward and Home Equity Conversion Mortgages in area impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton through April 11, 2025. The deadline dates for servicers to perform certain legal actions related to foreclosures in these areas was also extended for an additional 180 days following the end of the foreclosure moratoriums.
“Because the consecutive Hurricanes Helene and Milton caused a great deal of damage and disruption, FHA believes it is appropriate to extend our foreclosure moratoriums by 120 days,” said Federal Housing Commissioner Julia Gordon. “This extension will provide more time for homeowners to review a range of options with their mortgage servicer if they are unable to resume regular mortgage payments due to the impact of the disaster.”
Separately, HUD and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have launched the Pre-Disaster Housing Initiative, which helps states develop plans to boost their post-disaster housing capabilities. During an eight-month period, both agencies will provide technical assistance and guidance to Kentucky, Michigan, and Missouri state officials and emergency managers to maximize housing-centric planning that can help mitigate potential housing shortfalls in communities when disasters strike.
HUD said the states in the initiative “provide a wide cross section of perspectives on the challenges of planning and executing post-disaster housing missions. This includes geographic diversity, frequency of major disaster declarations, and the types of disasters they are most likely to face. Over the next few months, each state will set their priorities as well as expected outcomes and engage with their local and community partners to develop a disaster housing strategy that can be executed when needed.”
“This initiative is designed to strengthen relationships between emergency management and housing agencies both within a state and between the states in the cohort,” said FEMA’s Assistant Administrator for Recovery, Colt Hagmaier. “This partnership remains a priority for both FEMA and HUD and we are thrilled to see the exponential impacts of this initiative throughout the nation.”
