Livingston County United Way, Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency and the Livingston County Treasurer’s Office have joined forces to spread the word about MIHAF- a federal assistance program aimed at supporting homeowners who were negatively impacted by the Covid pandemic.
MIHAF-The Michigan Homeowner’s Assistance Fund, part of the ARP, is a federal assistance program that helps homeowners who have been negatively financially impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. The program can mitigate homeowner hardship by providing up to $25,000 per household to assist with delinquent mortgage, taxes, utilities and more. Livingston County United Way, Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency and the Livingston County Treasurer’s Office have created a video to help residents identify their eligibility, prepare necessary documentation and apply. View the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VW5-Gx7f8yA
The U.S. Department of the Treasury notified MSHDA on April 14, 2021 that it would allocate $242,812,277 to the State of Michigan for MIHAF. This number was based on unemployed individuals and the number of mortgagors with delinquent mortgage payments. Governor Gretchen Whitmer designated the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (the Authority or MSHDA) as the operating agency to set up the Michigan Homeowner Assistance Fund (MIHAF) program in accordance with the guidance provided by the Treasury. The MIHAF application program was launched to the public on February 14, 2022.
“The MIHAF program, which will pay the 2019-2021 property taxes for eligible homeowners, comes at this critical time for taxpayers behind on their 2019 property taxes. The 2019, or prior, taxes must be paid on or before March 31st, 2022 to avoid foreclosure and loss of the property. We have already experienced success stories through the MIHAF program since its mid-February launch. We encourage our homeowners facing financial challenges to contact our office to discuss the MIHAF program as well as other resources available for property tax assistance”, stated Jennifer Nash, Livingston County Treasurer.
“There are many options to prevent foreclosure that are available to most homeowners. If you are a homeowner who is struggling to pay your mortgage or property tax, for any reason, the HUD Certified Housing Counselors at OLHSA are specially trained to help you understand and identify all your options to get back on track with your payments.” housingcounseling@olhsa.org 248-860-7845
The MIHAF application portal is open now; applications can be taken over the phone by dialing 211, or online by visiting https://www.michigan.gov/mshda/homeownership/mihaf-homeowner-assistance .
There are a variety of resources available to assist with questions regarding the MIHAF program.
MIHAF customer service is available at 844-756-4423 or MSHDA-HO-HAF-Program@michigan.gov
You can reach Oakland Livingston Human Services Agency (OLHSA) Housing Counselors by calling 248-860-7845 or by emailing housingcounseling@olhsa.org
For questions related to delinquent property taxes and property tax foreclosure prevention, please reach out to the Livingston County Treasurer’s Office at 517-546-7010 or treasurersdept@livgov.com.