The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) has announced that it will reopen the Illinois Homeowner Assistance Fund (ILHAF) on Nov. 1, 2022. Applications will be accepted through Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023.
ILHAF is a federally funded program dedicated to assisting homeowners who are at risk of default, foreclosure or displacement because of financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Recipients may qualify for up to $30,000 under the following circumstances:
- Have household incomes less than 150 percent of the area median income,
- Own and occupy their property as their primary residence,
- Are at least 30 days behind on property tax or mortgage payments,
- Have financial hardship directly from COVID-19 that began, continued or worsened after Jan. 21, 2020.
Recipients can use ILHAF funds to:
- make delinquent payments for mortgages, property taxes, homeowner’s insurance, flood insurance, homeowner/condominium/co-op fees and mobile home lot rent as well as
- pay other housing-related costs related to a period of forbearance caused by the pandemic.
IHDA reported on Sept. 22, that 1,840 applications and $20,504,222 had been approved during its first round of assistance to homeowners. A total of 1,047 mortgage applications were approved for $16,080,470, while 342 property tax-only applications were approved for $1,849,647.
IHDA offers status updates for applicants and more information online. For details, go to illinoishousinghelp.org.