Behind on your mortgage and other bills? A new Vermont grant program is here to help.

Dan D'Ambrosio, Burlington Free Press
·1 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the lives of many Vermonters, in some cases putting them behind on their mortgages and other bills. Gov. Phil Scott announced a new grant program Monday to help with those overdue bills.

The Homeowner Assistance Program, funded by $50 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, will provide grants to those who qualify of up to $30,000 per household toward overdue mortgage payments, utility bills, property taxes and property association charges.

The Vermont Housing Finance Agency, which is managing the program, is accepting applications now (https://vermonthap.vhfa.org/). VHFA expects the program to continue for years to come to help reduce the long-term risk of foreclosure because of the pandemic.

"This program is about supporting Vermonters," Scott said in a news release. "Through (the Home Stabilization Program) we are keeping people in their homes, stabilizing neighborhoods and preserving the health of our communities."

Expanded help

Earlier in the pandemic VHFA provided a total of $10 million to nearly 900 households to help pay mortgages and property taxes through its Mortgage Assistance Program, funded by the Vermont Legislature.

With new federal funding, the Home Stabilization Program expands the criteria to help homeowners who don't have a mortgage or who have a reverse mortgage, and will also cover utility bills and homeowner and condominium association fees.

Winooski is launching a housing fund: Here's how residents can benefit.

The program is available to Vermont homeowners for expenses related to their primary homes, who meet income limits, and who are behind on their bills because of financial hardship associated with the coronavirus pandemic after Jan. 21, 2020.

A Homeowner Assistance Program information hotline is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 833-221-4208.

Survey: Burlington residents want to help unhoused people with federal money

Contact Dan D’Ambrosio at 660-1841 or ddambrosio@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanDambrosioVT. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Homeowner Assistance Program: Vermont offers help with bills.