From Maryland DHCD

“Dear HAF Partners,

Thanks to our partnership with housing counselors, servicers and other key stakeholders since the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund was launched in 2021, the program has helped more than 11,000 Maryland residents behind on mortgage payments and other housing costs. The application portal is still open for homeowners to receive assistance but we urge eligible Marylanders to apply now, as the program, as well as the HAF WholeHome Grant program for critical home repairs, will begin to waitlist applicants as soon as August 15, 2023, and after funding is completely allocated, the portals will close.

The department will continue to encourage Marylanders to reach out to housing counselors to receive support in accessing loss mitigation assistance from their mortgage servicer, providing referrals for other assistance programs, or connecting them with services and resources in their local communities.

We understand the important role your organizations play in helping homeowners who are facing financial hardships and thank you for your continued work to connect them with available resources. We will keep you informed on the program’s status as funding winds down.

Marylanders can apply for mortgage assistance at homeownerassistance.maryland.gov or critical home repairs here

Maryland DHCD help for HAF Housing Counselors

The HAF addition of the U Program which features forward payments has been successful in generating approvals for consumers in need who would not otherwise qualify for HAF assistance.

If you have questions on the U Program agreements your homeowners are receiving, please contact the call center at 833-676-0119. When there are questions the call center cannot answer they will add them to a list of questions for the processor of that agreement and forward the list within 1 business day.  Bear in mind that some questions can be answered sooner by reading through the documents sent to the homeowner. However, if you are still not able to answer their questions, use the process described above.

Also, Maryland DHCD’s HAF Program team will be sending awardees a letter with a list of frequently asked questions in the coming months so that homeowners have a reference for next steps."

Negotiated Fixed Price for Counseling

On July 27, 2023, a preview of the HUD’s FY2023 Homeownership

Initiative Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was published on

HUD’s Funding Opportunities Webpage. This new initiative uses a

negotiated fixed price reimbursement model for pre- and post-purchase

housing counseling that realizes homeownership. 

You can access the preview of the NOFO and

email questions to housing.counseling@hud.gov with the

subject line: “FY23 Homeownership Initiative NOFO Preview”.

FHA Adds Consumer Information Form Requirement

for Mortgage Originations

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) published

Mortgagee Letter (ML) 2023-13, Supplemental Consumer Information Form.

The Supplemental Consumer Information Form (SCIF) contains information about the borrower’s language preference, if any, and any homeownership education and housing counseling the borrower may have received. This ML requires mortgagees to provide prospective forward mortgage borrowers with the SCIF at the time of application, and to submit this information to FHA as part of the lender’s required loan application data submissions. Borrowers may elect to provide their lenders with no information, some information or all the information requested in the SCIF.  FHA is adopting the SCIF in recognition of the nation’s growing diverse population and the importance of understanding a borrower’s language preference, as well as mortgage literacy that may have been obtained through housing counseling.

$3.1 Billion to Help People Experiencing Homelessness

In July, HUD announced that it will provide more than $3.1 billion in competitive funding to homeless services organizations for supportive services and housing programs for people experiencing homelessness. This is the largest amount of funding under the Continuum of Care program competition in history, reflecting the Biden-Harris Administration’s continued commitment to tackle the nation’s homelessness crisis with the urgency it requires.

Read HUD’s Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

Housing Action Illinois Trainings

Housing Counseling Career Path (Spanish) – Virtual

August 29–31 and September 5–7 | 1:00–3:00 pm CT

Registration fee: $150 | Register »

Housing Counseling Career Path (English) – Virtual

September 26–28 | 1:00–5:00 pm CT

Registration fee: $150 | Register »