NEWS RELEASE
Florida's Nation-Leading HAF Program Awards Over $380 Million in Relief to the State's Most Vulnerable Homeowners
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced that Florida's nation-leading Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) program has awarded over $380 million in relief to assist 15,664 of the state's most vulnerable homeowners with their mortgage and other homeowner expenses, with more than $13 million awarded this week alone. DEO continues to assist applicants on an expedited timeline. "Every day, we hear from Florida homeowners about how the HAF program has helped them keep their families in their homes and how our team's quick action has stopped active foreclosures," said DEO Secretary Dane Eagle. "The DEO team continues to expedite relief to Florida homeowners and stands ready to assist applicants and approved Florida homeowners." |
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RESOURCES FOR APPLICANTS For Florida homeowners with unmet needs, other resources are available to assist eligible individuals with utility bills and other homeowner expenses through the Community Services Block Grant, the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, and the Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program.
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PROGRAM OUTREACH AND TRANSPARENCY The state of Florida is running the most transparent HAF program in the nation. Various outreach and transparency initiatives have been undertaken through case management, earned and paid advertising, and information sharing on DEO's Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn accounts to encourage eligible Floridians to register or apply for assistance and to assist them throughout the registration and application process.
Florida's HAF program outreach efforts were coordinated with:
Additionally, DEO has taken the following steps to keep Florida HAF program applicants informed:
Based on the funds allocated to Florida, and our tremendous outreach to Floridians, the HAF program received more Tier 1 applications than funding allocated to Florida. While this is great news that we will spend all the available funds and maximize the number of Floridians served, this means we may not be able to serve every applicant. |
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About HAF Florida's Homeowner Assistance Fund is designed to mitigate financial hardships associated with the COVID-19 pandemic by preventing homeowners’ mortgage delinquencies, defaults, foreclosures, and displacements, as well as by providing assistance with home energy services, internet, property and/or flood insurance, property taxes, and homeowner or condominium association fees. Eligible Florida homeowners may receive up to $50,000 in assistance. |
About DEO
The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity combines the state’s economic, workforce, and community development efforts, expediting economic development projects to fuel job creation in competitive communities and promote economic resiliency. For more information, including valuable resources for employers and job seekers, please visit www.FloridaJobs.org.
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