The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) announced the Pennsylvania Homeowner Assistance Fund (PAHAF) will reopen on March 18 to homeowners struggling as a result of pandemic-related financial hardships.
The PAHAF provides financial assistance to eligible homeowners for mortgage and housing-related expenses to address delinquency and avoid default, foreclosure or displacement from their homes. The fund was paused in February 2023 to process a backlog of applicants.
New applicants will be considered until the remaining monies are exhausted. Pennsylvania was awarded $350 million for the administration of the program and the disbursement of funds as part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. To date, more than 15,500 Pennsylvania households have received over $205 million, with approximately $92 million remaining; there is approximately $42 million encumbered to complete the processing of the pending applications that were transitioned.
PHFA estimated that between $48 million and $50 million in remaining PAHAF funds will be available to eligible new applicants for pandemic-related mortgage reinstatement, forward mortgage assistance, tax assistance and delinquent utility bills.
“This announcement fulfills PHFA’s promise to prioritize the backlog of Pennsylvania homeowners who have been waiting for their applications to be processed,” said PHFA Executive Director and CEO Robin Wiessmann. “PHFA is pleased that we are now in a position to reopen PAHAF to homeowners until the balance of funds has been exhausted.”
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