After Helping Thousands Maine HAF Program Draws To A Close

AUGUSTA – After helping thousands of Maine homeowners in 2023, the federally-funded Maine Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) will stop taking new applications as of January 10th at 5 p.m.

This pandemic-era program administered by MaineHousing was funded with $50 million in one-time funds from the U.S. Treasury as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act.

The fund has helped nearly 9,000 Maine homeowners who found themselves facing a COVID-19-related financial hardship that caused them to fall behind on home-related expenses. In all more than $30.1 million in relief has been committed to help Maine homeowners. This accounts for more than 70 percent of the available program funds.

This relief has reached homeowners in all 16 Maine counties, helping with mortgage reinstatements and payments, utility bills, property taxes, and homeowner association fees. 

“As we finish these last remaining emergency funds from the COVID pandemic, we are grateful for the support and trust shown to us by Maine’s elected leaders in Congress and at the State House, including Governor Mills,” said MaineHousing Director Dan Brennan. “The federal government saw fit to provide these important housing resources to Maine people and we are pleased we were able to help as many people as we did. This support certainly made the very difficult housing landscape in Maine far more stable for thousands of our fellow Mainers.”

Brennan also credited the successful administration of the program to many partners who collaborated on the program, helped share information, and guided homeowners to this relief. 

These include several local community action agencies, community development foundations, Maine’s largest electric utility providers, other non-profit and state government entities, the state’s banking community, and its municipal tax collectors and clerks among other essential partners.

With additional applications currently in the processing pipeline MaineHousing will make every effort to provide assistance to eligible applicants who have a COVID hardship and submit a completed application before the deadline, but cannot guarantee that assistance will be available. 

Homeowners who may need help and have a COVID-related hardship are being encouraged to apply before 5 p.m. EST on January 10th.

Applications will be accepted after the deadline but will not be processed and instead will be held as a waiting list should there be funding available after all applications that met the deadline are processed.  MaineHousing and its partners will work through the remaining applications as quickly as possible but cannot guarantee assistance from this program.

For more information on the Maine Homeowner Assistance Fund or to apply for help visit: MaineHomeownerHelp.org.