OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – An Oklahoma County official wants community members to know about a program that helps homeowners who were unable to pay property taxes because of COVID-19-related hardship.
Larry Stein, Oklahoma County Assessor, mentioned the Oklahoma Housing Finance Agency’s program during a recent Budget Board meeting.
OHFA, which was started in 1976, has a Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) that provides up to $20,000 in grants to homeowners who endured financial hardships during the pandemic.
The Oklahoma Homeowner Assistance Fund was launched on Jan. 10 with guidance from the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
The following are eligible uses of HAF grants, as long as they were not incurred or billed before Jan. 21, 2020:
- Delinquent first and second mortgage principal and interest (P&I)
- Delinquent property taxes
- Escrow shortage
- Homeowner and condominium association fees
- Homeowner hazard, flood and mortgage insurance
- Reasonable lender-assessed fees
- Up to three additional P&I payments after mortgage default is cured
- Past due loan payments to government or nonprofit entities for down payment assistance
Go to ohfa.org/haf for more information.
The agency also offers rental assistance to low-income families, and provides programming that helps veterans, individuals with HIV and AIDS and vulnerable people who are at high-risk of becoming homeless, according to an OHFA fact sheet.
And it helps developers find funding to build affordable housing.