When Dwight and Keshunda Millbrook of College Park lost their jobs in 2011, they were scared they would lose their home to foreclosure. To save their home, they applied for aid from HomeSafe Georgia, a free program that helps unemployed and under-employed homeowners pay their mortgage for up to 24 months.
Their strategy worked. The program helped the Millbrooks make their mortgage payments while they sought new employment. Today, the couple is back on their feet with new jobs that enable them to pay their mortgage.
HomeSafe Georgia is part of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Hardest Hit Fund. As part of a bill passed by Congress, several states ravaged by the Great Recession received funds to help homeowners who lost jobs avoid foreclosure. The Department of Community Affairs administers the $339 million Georgia received. That money is available only through the next three years.
The program’s intent is to help hard-working people keep their homes while searching for a new job. If you’ve ever lost a job, you understand the challenge of keeping up with your mortgage payment. Even if you’ve only lived in the home for a few years, it’s likely your family’s largest asset.
The program is working for many Georgians in financial distress. HomeSafe Georgia has helped more than 5,300 homeowners avoid foreclosure in 124 counties. We’ve used $110 million of the funds allotted our state, and we’re on track to utilize the remainder.
While unemployment and foreclosures are slowing, the need for the program remains strong. In 2014’s second quarter, 1,183 HomeSafe Georgia applications were submitted, a 12 percent increase compared to the previous quarter. Of those new applications, 478 were filed in June, the highest number for any single month so far this year.
While this jump may have been helped by our increased marketing outreach, we have also expanded the program’s eligibility requirements. We now extend help to homeowners who are currently able to make their mortgage payments, but who fell behind within the past three years due to financial hardships beyond their control: medical emergencies, a death in the family, or a drop in income during the transition from military service to civilian life. These homeowners may qualify for a one-time sum to cover up to 12 months of mortgage payments.
Another new feature helps homeowners with a permanent drop in income reduce their mortgage principal by up to $30,000, making the mortgage affordable and allowing them to stay in their homes.
While HomeSafe Georgia is a godsend for individual homeowners, it’s also helping communities around the state keep their neighborhoods intact. Even a single foreclosure can lower property values or pose a hazard for an entire neighborhood.
If you believe you may qualify, please apply at www.HomeSafeGeorgia.com, or call 1-877-519-4443.
Gretchen Corbin is commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, which oversees the HomeSafe Georgia program.
