CHEYENNE, Wyo. – The Wyoming Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program has expanded to include partial claims and increased the maximum payment from $17,000 to $35,000. These changes aim to help more Wyoming homeowners who struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic keep their homes and achieve financial stability.

Wyoming received $50 million in homeowner assistance provided by the U.S. Department of the Treasury for its HAF Program. Since launching in May 2022, the HAF Program has helped 1,496 Wyoming homeowners with a total of $11.2 million in assistance.

The recent expansion offers assistance to homeowners who restructured their mortgages in order to save their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic but now face large payments at the end of their mortgage. Those who experienced a COVID-related financial hardship after Jan. 21, 2020 and took a partial claim second mortgage  may now be eligible for assistance.

With the changes, eligible homeowners can receive up to $35,000 in assistance as a one-time award to pay. The prioritization of aid will be as follows: mortgage reinstatement, partial claim assistance, delinquent “other expenses” and finally, forward mortgages.

• MORTGAGE DELINQUENCY: Financial assistance to help reinstate a mortgage or to pay other housing-related costs related to a period of forbearance, delinquency, or default.
• PARTIAL CLAIMS: Financial assistance to pay off a portion or all of a COVID Partial Claim with HUD. Partial Claim must have been received after Jan. 21, 2020 due to a COVID financial hardship. Partial claims may be a subordinate lien. The HAF Program will not cover deferral payments.
• FORWARD MORTGAGE PAYMENTS: Up to three (3) consecutive months of forward mortgage payments.
• PAST DUE UTILITY PAYMENTS: Electricity, energy costs (fuel, oil & propane), water and sewer. (Internet costs are not an eligible expense.)
• PAST DUE HOUSING-RELATED BILLS: Property taxes, homeowners insurance or homeowner association dues.

The application is only available online at dfs.wyo.gov/haf. For application assistance, please contact the call center toll-free at 1-888-WYO-HAFP (1-888-996-4237) during the hours of 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.  The HAF Program is a temporary federally funded assistance fund. Don’t wait to apply. Funds are limited.

Eligibility criteria include:

• Must not have received a previous HAF award. This is a one-time award. Any eligible clients who received HAF payments in the past cannot apply.
• Must own a property in Wyoming, including those on the Wind River Reservation.
• Must currently occupy the property as the primary residence.
• Must have a total annual household income at or below 150% of the area median income.
• Must have experienced a COVID-related financial hardship after January 21, 2020
• If applying for mortgage assistance, the loan must be the first lien on the property, and the homeowner must not intend to sell the property within six months of receiving assistance.