Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund

The Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) and HAF WholeHome programs ended September 18, 2023. Applications are no longer being accepted as the funding has been completely allocated to homeowners and the federal funding for this program has ended.

Get Help Now

If you are currently experiencing issues paying your mortgage, contact your servicer to inquire about forbearance options. To be connected to housing counseling and legal services, call 1-877-462-7555 or see Participating Housing Counseling and Legal Services Agencies to find an agency that can work with you to access relief.

The Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund and HAF WholeHome Grants have helped close to 17,000 Maryland residents who were behind on mortgage payments and other housing costs since the HAF program launched in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The average mortgage and other housing costs assistance provided was approximately $20,000 per household, and a maximum of $10,000 per file, in assistance for critical repairs.

Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development staff are still diligently working with the homeowners who applied on the HAF portal, qualified for and received funding while the program was open and will continue to service the HAF loans and provide ongoing support and education to them. For questions about terms of the HAF mortgage, mortgage lien releases, payoff quotes, etc., please call 1-833-519-7405 or email HAFServicing.dhcd@Maryland.gov.

All remaining program applications, including those on the waitlist, are being processed and applicants are being notified of their status. The department is also ensuring those who are denied or are waitlisted are referred to other resources. The department continues to encourage Marylanders facing foreclosure to work closely with their mortgage servicers and reach out to housing counselors to receive support in accessing loss mitigation assistance from their mortgage servicers and to provide referrals for other assistance programs, such as the Homeowner Protection Program (HPP) administered by the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, to assist with delinquent property tax bills.

The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development was able to quickly administer this federal funding during the pandemic to assist the thousands of homeowners affected by hardships caused by COVID-19. See more about the program’s impact below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund?

The Homeowner Assistance Fund was established by the American Rescue Plan Act enacted on March 11, 2021, to help homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development received $248 million through this program to assist homeowners struggling with their mortgage payments or other housing costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Using this funding, the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund assisted 17,000 Marylanders by leveraging and supplementing the loss mitigation tools mortgage servicers deployed and assisting with other housing related costs to prevent displacement.

Is assistance still available?

No, the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund started to waitlist applicants on August 15, 2023, and closed the program on September 18, 2023, once all available funding was allocated to homeowners.

What are the eligibility requirements?

Eligible financial hardship after January 21, 2020
Grant - 100% of AMI; Loan - 150% of AMI
Must be a Maryland homeowner
Homeowners residing in their primary residence
Evidence of the deed of trust
Be delinquent and/or in forbearance for more than 3 months.

For additional eligibility requirements, including income limits, see Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund Factsheet.

What happens to my application if it was placed on the waitlist?

DHCD is reaching out to those who were on the waitlist to let them know if their application will be accepted or to connect them to other resources. To check to see the final status of your application, waitlisted applicants can still log into the portal, and click the Communications Tab to see the status of their application, or contact the call center at 833-676-0119.

As the program ends, there is no guarantee that funding will become available to accept applications from the waitlist. But if it does, applicants are prioritized on a first-come, first-served basis to be considered. As the funding has been completely allocated, there is not a timeline to determine when funding would possibly become available to move an applicant off the waitlist.

The department is connecting applicants on the waitlist to other resources and encourages them to work with housing counselors to find the best solution, as funding is not guaranteed and limited with the end of the program. All waitlist applicants will be notified of their status as soon as it is known whether funding is available to accept their application. To monitor your application's status, log into the portal at https://marylandhaf.com/ and check the "Communications" tab.

What does the end of the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund program mean if my application was approved?

The end of the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund will not affect approved applications. The Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development will continue to work with your mortgage servicer and other third parties (HOAs, attorneys, counties, utilities companies) as applicable, to advance each file through the processing steps. Applicants are also still able to access the portal to see any communications or other information that was provided for their approval.

Where can I go for assistance now that the Maryland Homeowner Assistance Fund is closed?

If you are currently experiencing issues paying your mortgage, contact your servicer to inquire about workout plans or other options available and specific to your situation.

To be connected to housing counseling and legal services, call 1-877-462-7555 or see Participating Housing Counseling and Legal Services Agencies to find an agency that can work with you to access relief.

Homeowner Resources

A family’s home is their most important asset, and housing counseling helps ensure that potential and current homeowners are educated and empowered to make informed decisions about purchasing or preserving that home. To that end, the Department of Housing and Community Development supports a statewide network of nonprofit and local government agencies that provide critical assistance to homeowners, and renters.

Foreclosure and Rental Counseling

If you are a homeowner who has fallen behind on your mortgage payments, getting help early in the process can mean the difference between saving your home and losing it to foreclosure. A housing counselor can help you understand your options based on your specific circumstances and can assist you with finding a solution that works best for you. Contact a housing counselor today. You can also call 1-877-462-7555 to find a state-approved nonprofit agency that can provide individual guidance to homeowners facing foreclosure.

Participating Housing Counseling and Legal Services Agencies

Additional Resource Information

For Mortgage Servicers

Visit the Servicer Resources section for additional information and documents.