New Hanover County launches Homeowner Assistance Program
Posted September 1, 2021 at 11:56 am Category: News Release • Social Services
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – New Hanover County launched its Homeowner Assistance Program today, September 1. The program will provide assistance to homeowners living in New Hanover County that have been impacted financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible homeowners may receive assistance for mortgage, utilities, internet, and other housing costs.
The Homeowner Assistance Program was created utilizing $3 million of the county’s American Rescue Plan funds, and is available to New Hanover County residents from now until all funds are expended. An outline of eligibility and how to apply is included below and can be found here.
“For the past five months, we have been successful in helping more than 2,100 household who rent a home in New Hanover County with our emergency rental assistance program,” said Health and Human Services’ Social Services Director Tonya Jackson. “But that support did not include homeowners, based on the guidelines from the federal government. So to now be able to assist residents who own their home but are struggling financially because of COVID-19 is a welcome service. I am glad our Board of Commissioners had the vision to include this as part of the American Rescue Plan framework to help residents and ensure housing and homeownership stability.”
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Homeowner Assistance Program, the resident must own their home in New Hanover County and meet the following three criteria:
- Have one or more individuals who has qualified for unemployment benefits or experienced a reduction in household income, incurred significant costs, or experienced other financial hardship during or due to the coronavirus pandemic after January 21, 2020; and
- Demonstrate a risk of experiencing homelessness or housing instability; and
- Have a household income at or below 150 percent of the area median income.
US Citizenship is not an eligibility requirement for this program. Click here for more information and eligibility details.
Application Process
Applications can be submitted online or over the phone. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, applying in-person is not required.
- Click here to apply online. Applicants must have an email address to complete the application. Once submitted, an account with the Health and Human Services’ customer portal AccessHHS will be created and an email will be sent containing information needed to access the account and upload required documentation.
- If residents do not have access to internet or do not have an email address, they can apply by calling 910-798-3505.
Once an application is processed and reviewed, the homeowner will be notified whether the application is approved, and how much assistance the household is eligible for. Payments through the program will be made directly to the mortgage lender, utility, or service provider.
The Homeowner Assistance Program is separate from the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program that has been underway since March. It is one of several programs the county is launching through the American Rescue Plan funding to directly help residents and strengthen the community. You can view a list of the county’s current relief programs at NHCgov.com/COVIDrelief.
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