Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Fund
The Louisiana Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) was a financial relief program to help homeowners financially impacted by COVID-19. The program provided up to $50,000 in financial aid to low- to moderate-income families who were behind on their mortgages and at risk of foreclosure.
The program was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (H.R. 1319) which provides $9.961 billion in federal relief for vulnerable homeowners. The U.S. Dept. of the Treasury allocated $146.7 million in funding to the state of Louisiana.
The program launched in January 2022, later expanding to include non-escrow expense assistance and principal reduction assistance, and the application period closed on December 21, 2022. As of April 30, 2023, the program is no longer accepting new documents for inactive files. All funds were disbursed by the end of 2023, providing up to $50,000 to bring eligible homeowners current on their mortgage.
Reporting Highlights
7,794 households
in all 64 Louisiana parishes received assistance
78%
of all workable applications resulted in payments disbursed
63% of all program applications came from the 10 parishes
that represent 55% of the state’s low-to moderate-income (LMI) population: East Baton Rouge, Jefferson, Orleans, Caddo, St. Tammany, Lafayette, Livingston, Ascension, Tangipahoa and Ouachita
More than 82%
of homeowners who received payments were either unemployed, disabled or retired
Program Overview
Application Process
Applicants were required to submit a copy of their photo ID as part of their application. LOCD-DR partnered with other state agencies to verify applicant information in order to reduce the number of documents requested during the application process, however, if third-party verification could not be obtained, the program requested from the applicant mortgage statements, pay stubs, wage statements such as a W-2 form, IRS Form 1099-S, tax filings along with personal identification.
Resources
FAQs
Overview
Eligibility
Application Process
Funding & Payment