Applications for thousands in home expense relief open through Aug. 17

(ABC 6 News) – Minnesota homeowners struggling with mortgage and tax payments have more time to seek help.

Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho said Thursday that HomeHelpMN applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. Aug. 17.

HomeHelpMN is a pandemic fund that provides $109 million to homeowners for COVID-related shortfalls on homeownership expenses.

The program can offer up to $35,000 in funds for past-due mortgage, contract, insurance, or tax payments. The payments are made on behalf of the homeowner to the entity that is owed, and do not need to be paid back at a later date.

The program opened May 17, and received about 2,800 applications that represented about a third of the available funding.

However, Ho said tens of thousands of households may still be eligible for assistance.

“We know that there are tens of thousands of Minnesota homeowners who have fallen behind on their housing expenses, with as many as 14,000 households who are behind on their mortgages by 90 days or more,” Ho said. “We estimate that 85 percent of the homeowners that have past-due payments meet the income requirements. If you are struggling to pay your housing bills because of the pandemic, now is the time to apply for HomeHelpMN.”

Minnesota’s income limits to determine eligibility for the program range from $90,000 to $117,300 depending on county. Homeowners can find their county’s range at homehelpmn.org/income-limits.

Applications can be submitted online at HomeHelpMN.org, or over the phone by calling 800-388-3226 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.