Eligibility Broadened, Funding Increased
Nashville, TN – A program that has helped thousands already is broadening its limits to make an even greater impact.
Tennessee Housing Development Agency (THDA) administers the federal foreclosure prevention program in Tennessee under the name Keep My Tennessee Home. Answering simple questions at www.KeepMyTNHome.org establishes eligibility. The program is designed for homeowners who have lost 30% or more of their income.
Over 2,400 Tennessee households have received financial assistance since the program began in January 2011.
“Tennessee is doing a good job in assisting families as they regain their footing,” said Bill ClenDening, assistant director, Single Family Programs, for THDA. “We are helping households as efficiently as we can and with the expanded eligibility will be able to help more people.
“We hope that neighbors will tell others about the program and the website as soon as a financial problem arises. This program is designed to cover mortgage payments while a homeowner gets back on his or her feet.”
The program, funded through the U.S. Treasury’s Hardest Hit Fund, is designed to help unemployed and substantially underemployed homeowners meet their mortgage obligations. Tennessee was allocated $217 million for the program which is administered by states’ housing finance agencies. The U.S. Treasury is encouraging more vigorous implementation because the foreclosure crisis has continued despite many efforts.
Elizabeth F. of Nashville wrote a thank you letter to the THDA staff in May. “This is a letter of thanks for the ‘Keep My TN Home’ program…I have received the blessing of a job. … I appreciate all your effort and guidance. I feel like I can make it and accomplish whatever is needed to keep my home.”
THDA is Tennessee’s housing finance agency (HFA). It has developed the application website and trained its network of foreclosure prevention counselors to process the applications. If an applicant meets the requirements, the applicant and a counselor are paired to process the application.
“The assistance is prepared as a loan,” said ClenDening, “but the loan is forgiven over five years, 20% per year. If the family keeps the home as their primary residence for five years the loan is completely forgiven.”
The foreclosure prevention counselors, who have been offering affected Tennesseans free counseling since 2008, prepare the documentation with the homeowner. If approved, payments are made directly to the servicer, the lender that collects payments from the homeowner. The loan amounts are up to $40,000 for up to 36 months for homeowners in all Tennessee’s counties.
THDA is working closely with Tennessee’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Brochures are available in packets given to persons applying for unemployment insurance and handed out when presentations are made to employees at workplaces that are making layoffs.
Foreclosure prevention counseling continues to be available free of charge to households struggling with their payments for whatever reason. THDA invites applicants to look here at the list of counselors. The Attorney General’s Office also allocated funds to supplement the free foreclosure counseling program across Tennessee.
About the Tennessee Housing Development Agency
THDA is a political subdivision of the State of Tennessee. It was established in 1973 by the Tennessee General Assembly, making its first mortgage in 1974. Through its administration of tax-exempt mortgage revenue bonds, it has provided affordable fixed rate mortgages to over 100,000 households without using state tax dollars.
The total contribution of THDA-related activities to Tennessee’s economy was estimated at $728.6 million in 2011. In the year 2007, THDA created the Tennessee Housing Trust Fund using state, THDA and locally-generated funding matches to support programs for the very-low income, elderly and special needs populations.
More information about THDA is available on-line at www.thda.org.
