Attorney General Martha Coakley on Friday announced the opening of the application period for the HomeCorps Assisting Homeowners at Risk of Foreclosure or Eviction Grant.
The grant program, which utilizes funds recovered through the nationwide state-federal settlement over unlawful foreclosures, will extend the work of Coakley’s first in the nation HomeCorps program to mitigate the future impacts of the foreclosure crisis.
"This program is designed to best optimize our resources and provide the most comprehensive services to distressed homeowners," Coakley said in a statement. "Our HomeCorps program has successfully kept thousands in their homes and continues to work to strengthen our communities by assisting homeowners and preventing unnecessary foreclosures."
The program will provide approximately $1.5 million for a qualified Massachusetts organization to serve as a master grantee. That organization will coordinate and oversee a statewide program that will work with families and individuals facing foreclosure and eviction. The program will combine loan modification advocacy and borrower recovery/homelessness prevention services.
The master grantee will be responsible for all phases of oversight of the program including accepting referrals for services and providing levels of supervisory and administrative/operational support. Applicants should propose a plan to provide homelessness prevention services statewide via a sub-grantee network of full-time equivalent housing counselors.
The majority of services provided to homeowners supported by this grant program will focus on assisting with loan modification related services. All services delivered by the Master Grantee and sub-grantees as part of this grant program will be delivered at no cost to eligible clients.
Since the program launched in April 2012, HomeCorps has assisted more than 10,500 borrowers in Massachusetts, and helped achieve more than 2,100 permanent loan modifications.
The deadline for the letter of intent is March 21. More information about applying can be found on the attorney general’s website.
