State to Pause Accepting New Applications for Oregon Homeowner Assistance Fund Program

OREGON – (Release from Oregon Housing and Community Services) Oregon Housing and Community Services (OHCS) will pause accepting new applications for the Oregon Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program at 11 a.m. PST on Nov. 30, 2022. This pause will allow OHCS to process current applications in its pipeline, allow for minor system maintenance, and better project the amount of federal HAF funds remaining for homeowners.  

“Since making the first HAF program payment in January 2022, the program has served the most at-risk homeowners, keeping families in their homes,” said Ryan Vanden Brink, assistant director of Homeowner Assistance Programs. “The HAF team could not do this work without Oregon’s housing counseling agencies, which stand by to provide advice and advocacy for struggling homeowners across the state. If you are a homeowner falling behind, don’t delay, reach out to a state approved homeownership center right away.” 

Anyone who is eligible to apply in Phases 1, 2, or 3 of OHCS’ phased program opening is encouraged to apply for HAF assistance before 11 a.m. PST on Nov. 30, 2022. Homeowners can learn more about eligibility for each of these phases and apply online at oregonhomeownerassistance.org.  

If a person has previously applied or began an application, the pause will not impact them. Those who started their applications will still be able to access and complete them, and those applications that were previously submitted will still be processed. Applicants can continue to log on to the HAF portal to complete their application or check the status of their finished application. They can opt in to email alerts as their application advances. 

To serve the most at-risk homeowners, as an exception to this pause, OHCS will continue to accept new applications submitted by housing counselors on behalf of homeowners that are in judicial action or have a verified foreclosure sale date. If you are in a judicial action, or in a nonjudicial foreclosure and can provide documentation of a pending foreclosure sale date, please apply before the pause or work with a free housing counselor to submit your application.  

OHCS planned its HAF program to operate as a safety net for the most at-risk eligible homeowners who have no viable workout option, and it will continue to operate HAF this way during the pause. During a very limited pilot program HAF received about 180 applications. Since opening Phase 3 in June 2022, an additional 1,700 HAF applications have been started by Oregon homeowners.  

Free help is available 

During this pause, homeowners who have fallen behind or are at risk of missing a payment on their mortgage can continue to get free help from certified housing counselors around the state to learn about budgeting tools and evaluation of options to keep their homes, such as modifications, adding deferred payments to the end of a mortgage, or HAF. HAF may not be the best option for everyone, and it may prevent homeowners from servicer options available for different types of loans. Housing counselors are knowledgeable, experienced, and dedicated professionals who can help homeowners communicate with their mortgage servicers. 

Search the full list of free certified housing counselors by county. Homeowners should be aware that some housing counseling agencies take longer to respond due to the holidays and remote working policies.  

In addition to connecting with a certified housing counselor, Oregon homeowners should directly contact their mortgage servicers and lenders to see what types of mortgage assistance and foreclosure prevention programs are available. Homeowners who communicate with their lenders and servicers have some additional protections and usually have more time to figure out their options. 

Avoiding fraud 

The Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services recommends being extremely cautious with offers to help from unauthorized companies or people. Homeowners are urged not to provide financial or personal information unless they verify the company or person’s licensing status. It does not cost anything to apply for the HAF program or meet with an Oregon housing counselor. 

There are a number of common warning signs homeowners should watch out for that may indicate a scam. If a homeowner suspects they’re being contacted by a scammer, they can report it to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Oregon Department of Justice, or the U.S. Treasury’s Office of the Inspector General. 

To verify a lender’s license, visit the Division of Financial Regulation’s license page and compare it with the Nationwide Multistate Licensing System (NMLS) license number. This number must be included on all advertising materials and should be easy to find. To verify a housing counseling agency’s status with the state, make sure they are listed on the OHCS website.  

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