One Month Help With Mortgage or Rent!

[carol7lynn]

Last summer I found out that the federal government has a program that will pay about 90 percent of one month's mortgage (interest & principal-no late fees or escrow) or rent payment if you have an unforeseen emergency. You have to jump through a couple of hoops but it is totally worth it.

First, you have to be late (some counties all you need to do is establish that you will be late-mine you had to be late) and able to make the next month's payment and submit a hardship letter as to why you can't pay for a given month (mine was August.) Could be an unexpected car repair, loss of expected income, medical expense, and the like. It took two months after I got the paper work in (August 28) for them to make the payment but I just looked at my mortgage statement yesterday (had it for a couple of weeks) and was surprised to see that they credited my account for $1,200! I'd given up hope.

The program is administered by your local county government usually through its Community Action Partnership program. I tapped into this program last year and got a new central air conditioner, furnace, hot water tank, kitchen stove and microwave plus free weatherstripping and carbon monoxide detectors.

SkippieB

[mommi2many]

That is a great tip. Thanks for sharing that. I know someone who could use that program.

[helpme2010]

We should ask the moderators to put up a sticky thread for government assistance programs for the poor and unemployed. In Southern California, Edison and the Gas Company have programs for the poor including a free energy efficient refridgerator, door replacement, weatherstripping, and other energy assistance programs. It takes many months to get it through, but they are good programs.

Perhaps we can all add programs to help each other and create a new sticky for them.

[chicagoannie]

In Illinois there is the Homeless Prevention Program (gov't funded) which will award a grant of up to 3 month's rent (paid direct to landlord) to avoid eviction. There are requirements which much be met, primarily one must be employed and be able to show they can meet monthly expenses once they are caught up with the rent. Then there is LIHEAP which helps a bit with utilities. And there is also a program which will help with mortgage payments; I am not sure if it is the HPP or something else, but I do know for that one you can only be one month behind on your mortgage payment and you must also be employed. To inquire about these programs you must contact your local health department for information.

In Illinois, the winter moratorium when ComEd and NiCor cannot disconnect utilities for non-payment begins Dec 1st (used to be Nov 1st) and runs until Mar 31st.

And of course there is the LINK program (food stamps), All Kids (medicaid) and the food pantries. There is also the Angel Food Ministries where you can buy a LOT of groceries for approx $30 (they say it feeds a family of 4 for a week).