Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP)
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The HEMAP Help Center
The Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program ("HEMAP") has been helping Pennsylvania homeowners facing foreclosure since 1984. HEMAP provides temporary assistance in the form of loans to homeowners who are in danger of losing their homes through no fault of their own. Administered by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency ("PHFA"), HEMAP has allowed over 35,000 families to save their homes.
But for all its successes, on average less than 30% of all applicants are approved each year. To assist homeowners applying for HEMAP, Regional Housing Legal Services (RHLS) developed The HEMAP Help Center at www.hemap.org. The HEMAP Help Center is designed to help homeowners improve their likelihood of qualifying for HEMAP assistance.
At The HEMAP Help Center, homeowners will find information about HEMAP, the HEMAP application, and links to useful information. Although applications can not be submitted online, The HEMAP Help Center does help homeowners who are preparing to meet with a housing counselor to submit an application to PHFA. Homeowners may fill out a HEMAP application online, including a description of the homeowners' s circumstances, and take it to the counseling agency. Or the housing counselor may use the HEMAP Help Center while working with the homeowner.
According to one homeowner who used The HEMAP Help Center, "... the website, etc. did help me to prepare for my meeting with the counselor. In fact she was very impressed, and the meeting only took 1/2 the time as a result!"
One of the most important parts of the HEMAP application is the Description of Circumstances. The homeowner may complete a draft of the Description of Circumstances online and email it to RHLS for review and comments prior to finalizing the application.
The HEMAP Help Center does not take the place of a meeting with a housing counselor. Meeting with a counselor is a very important and necessary part of the HEMAP application process. The HEMAP Help Center can help homeowners be better prepared for meeting with a housing counselor. The goal of the HEMAP Help Center is to increase the homeowner' s likelihood of submitting a successful application.
Another homeowner wrote: "To say that I am grateful for all of your help would be an understatement. Your advise was so clearly explained that I am no longer having anxiety attacks. I understand that we could still lost the house; but at least we now have a fighting chance."
For more information, visit The HEMAP Help Center at www.hemap.org.