Minnesota Housing announces HomeHelpMN deadline extension

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) – Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho announced Thursday that the application period for HomeHelpMN has been extended until August 17, 2022 at 5:00 p.m.

According to Minnesota Housing, HomeHelpMN provides $109 million in federal assistance for homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage or other homeownership-related expenses due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The program opened for applications on May 17 and has already received applications from nearly 2,800 households, with requests for funds representing about a third of the available funding.

Estimates based on foreclosure and delinquency data, however, show that there are potentially tens of thousands of Minnesota households who may be eligible for the assistance.

The program is now extending the application period to allow more time for homeowners to request 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,” said Commissioner Ho. “We estimate that 85% 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 Housing said that HomeHelpMN will pay up to $35,000 of past-due expenses like mortgage or contract for deed payments, property taxes, homeowners’ insurance, manufactured home loans, lot rent, and Tribal land lease payments.

Payments are made on behalf of the homeowner directly to the entity that is owed. Payments do not need to be paid back.

Homeowners must meet eligibility requirements including income that is below program limits and having past-due eligible expenses.

The income limits for the program vary based on the county of residence and the household size. The full income chart can be found here.

Households do not have to have experienced illness from COVID-19 to be eligible. Instead, they need to have experienced a Qualified Financial Hardship as defined by the Department of Treasury. This may mean an increase in expenses including healthcare, housing, childcare or a reduction in income from job loss, reduced hours, inability to work, or other causes related to the pandemic.

Applications for assistance can be submitted online at here and over the phone at 800.388.3226. The website and application are available in English, Spanish, Somali, and Hmong.

The call center supports these languages and more. Call Center hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.