CHARLESTON, W.VA— Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Housing Development Fund are pleased to announce the launch of a new program to help West Virginia homeowners affected by COVID-19.
The West Virginia Homeowners Rescue Program distributes federal COVID-19 relief funds to eligible homeowners who have experienced a pandemic-related hardship. The West Virginia Housing Development Fund, the state’s housing finance agency, will administer the program on behalf of the U.S. Treasury. We will begin accepting applications Monday, March 28.
“If you’re a homeowner, especially if you’ve been hurting financially, you’ve got to see if you can take advantage of this program because we can come running to the rescue. Any federal dollars that are available to the state, we want to try to capitalize on that in any way we can,” Gov. Justice said. “Not only will we be able to help you, but this will also be a major stimulus for our economy, because the multiplier effect of these dollars will be enormous.”
The program is open to homeowners who are at or below 150 percent of Area Median Income, have fallen behind on housing costs, and have experienced a COVID-related hardship such as unemployment or reduced income. The program will pay housing costs such as delinquent mortgages, back taxes, insurance premiums, homeowner’s association fees and utilities. Homeowners do not have to have a mortgage to qualify for assistance.
“West Virginia leads the nation in homeownership, in part because of our low housing costs. However, we recognize that COVID19 has disrupted the eco nomy and many West Virginians are struggling with their housing costs,” said Erica Boggess, executive director of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund. “We really encourage all eligible West Virginia homeowners to apply for this program, which can he lp homeowners catch up on their housing costs and ultimately stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure.”
A full list of eligibility requirements and documents necessary to complete the application are available at www.wvhomerescue.com. Applicants should review the website and have their information ready when the portal officially opens next Monday, March 28. Online and downloadable paper applications can be found at www.wvhomerescue.com.
