Alaska Housing Homeowner Assistance is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number HAFP-0197 awarded to the State of Alaska by the US Department of the Treasury. As part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the program is designed to help homeowners avoid mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures. Approved payments will be distributed by AHFC and its partners directly to Mortgage Servicers and homeowner expense and utility providers. Read AHFC's HAF Annual Report.

Alaska Housing Homeowner Assistance may include: 

• Financial assistance to help homeowners reinstate a mortgage in forbearance, delinquency, or default;
• Repaying homeowner expenses such as and including property taxes, hazard insurance premiums, HOA/condominium dues, and cooperative maintenance fees for homeowners who continue to experience financial hardships due to COVID-19. 

Any suspicions of fraud or abuse should be reported to AHFC as soon as possible. Learn more about Avoiding Mortgage Assistance Scams.

If delinquent on your mortgage, please be proactive and contact your Mortgage Servicer to discuss your circumstances and advise them that you have applied for Alaska Housing Homeowner Assistance.

Basic eligibility requirements are listed below.

• You must be a homeowner and applying for aid in your primary residence that is located in the State of Alaska.
• You must satisfy minimum federal and State of Alaska requirements: 
  • Have experienced a coronavirus-related financial hardship after Jan. 21, 2020
  • Not exceed the maximum household income as required by U.S. Treasury.
  • At least one person per household must be directly or indirectly financially impacted by COVID-19
  • Demonstrated risk of housing instability or homelessness 

Yes. You must demonstrate negative economic or financial hardship due directly or indirectly to COVID-19.

Yes, eligible Alaskans meeting federal requirements and designated Area Median Income levels apply through the same process and program so long as the home for which they are requesting assistance is their primary (owner-occupied) residence.

To qualify for Alaska Housing Homeowner Assistance, your primary residence must be in Alaska. For information about assistance in other states, click here.

Income is based on the household — all income from adult household members.

Yes. The maximum allowable household income level varies based on your borough or census area. Area Median Income (AMI) is calculated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) using data from federal entities such as the IRS. During the application process you will use an online eligibility checker that will automatically calculate your AMI. Income documentation will be required for all adults living in the household.

Yes. Please talk to your Mortgage Servicer and advise them that you have applied for Alaska Housing Homeowner Assistance and be prepared to provide requested documentation as quickly as possible.

Yes. Homeowner Assistance Specialists will work with your Mortgage Servicer to determine the best course of action.

Yes. Alaska Housing Homeowner Assistance may be able to provide assistance for qualified homeowner expenses and utilities to eligible applicants at their primary residence in Alaska.

Yes, you may apply for assistance for future utility payments. You will need to meet the income guidelines and have experienced a hardship related to COVID-19, such as loss of income.

Eligible applicants approved for financial assistance exceeding $20,000 will be required to sign a Deed of Trust. Applicants who are required to sign a Deed of Trust will be notified individually with details and instructions for next steps.

No. Only owner-occupied properties are eligible.

Yes, if the property has more than one unit and you occupy a unit as your primary residence.

Yes.

Eligible owner-occupied properties include: 

• Single-family attached and detached properties
• Condominium units
• Manufactured homes permanently affixed to real property and taxed as real estate
• Mobile homes not permanently affixed to real property
• Land contracts
• 1 to 4-unit properties where the homeowner is living in one of the units as a primary residence

Homeowners without a mortgage may be eligible to receive two months of assistance for each qualifying homeowner expense or utility. Assistance is based on a monthly average determined by relief specialists when reviewing submitted documentation.

Homeowners with a mortgage may be eligible to receive 3 months of immediate assistance, with each month equaling their current monthly mortgage payment. Applicants who require more than $20,000 in assistance to bring their mortgage current may be approved for up to $40,000. Any assistance over $20,000 will require a Deed of Trust.

Potentially. Applicants who have a new mortgage may be eligible for assistance if they have made their first mortgage payment by the date they submitted their application.

Funds will be used to first bring your mortgage current. Once all assistance is paid out to approved applicants and if there is still funding available, eligible applicants will receive an invitation to submit homeowner expenses and utilities for consideration. However, funds cannot be applied to past due balances that pre-date Jan. 21, 2020.

Eligible utilities typically provided by municipal utility companies include:

• Electricity
• Natural gas
• Trash removal
• Water/sewer

Other home-energy and home-heating costs that are not provided by municipal utility companies are also eligible, and include:

• Home heating fuel or oil
• Propane
• Firewood
• Wood pellets

Telephone, cable, and internet are not considered utilities and are not eligible. 
 

The application period is now closed. The deadline to apply was Monday, April 4, 2022 at 11:59 p.m. Alaska time.

No. If you pre-registered you do not need to register again. Check your email for a message from Alaska Housing Finance Corporation. In that email is a link to proceed with your application.

Once submitted, we will review your application to make sure it is complete. If you'd like to confirm that you've submitted all required information, visit the check status page. If everything is "in review" then you're all set for now. If we still need something, you'll find links to submit. Completed applications will then go into the verification process. At that time we will ask you for additional details and connect you with a Homeowner Assistance Specialist who will finalize your assistance.

Please check your spam and junk mail folders for the confirmation email. Please also double check your email address and phone number to make sure that there are no accidental typos in your entry.

To check the status of your application, click here and enter your confirmation code. If you don't have your code, check the confirmation email you received when you completed your eligibility check.

Watch this video to learn more about how to check your status online.

Yes. During the application and verification process, you will need to provide certain documents, such as: 

• A valid government issued photo ID
• Income verification such as W-2, 1099 or award statement
• 2021 federal tax returns (only pages 1 & 2)
• Verification of mortgage and mortgage documentation 

After you have confirmed eligibility and submitted your application, you will work directly with a Homeowner Assistance Specialist to submit any required documents. 

All data is encrypted and will never be shared with anyone outside of AHFC and its contracted application processing partners.

After you have submitted your application and met initial eligibility requirements, you will be asked by an AHFC Homeowner Assistance Specialist to submit additional documentation regarding your assistance needs. You will upload these documents to AHFC using our secure application process. 

The Homeowner Assistance Specialist will work with your Mortgage Servicer, utility company or other payee to determine the amount of funds that you may qualify for and set up payments to help cover eligible expenses. You will also be asked to provide third party authorization to the Homeowner Assistance Specialist so that they can directly communicate with your Mortgage Servicer and/or utility company to verify your eligibility and set up payments directly to the servicer/utility company on your behalf.

Submit your application, and a Homeowner Assistance Specialist will work with you to determine the best approach for assistance.

Homeowners that have previously filed for bankruptcy but who are no longer in bankruptcy must provide proof of court ordered discharge or dismissal.

Yes. Payments made on your behalf may take 90 to 120 days to post. Eligible applicants are responsible throughout the process to continue to make scheduled payments and keep accounts current until they can verify that a payment has been applied on their behalf. Questions related to this process should be addressed with an the eligible applicant's Mortgage Servicer directly. 

Submitting an application does not guarantee financial assistance.

There is no guarantee of assistance. Because of the complexities of the review process, AHFC will review and assess the total statewide need before determining how, consistent with U.S. Treasury guidance, federal funds will be distributed.

No. Payments will be made directly to the Mortgage Servicer, utility/energy company, insurer, and/or tax authority, as appropriate. Watch this video to learn how funds are distributed.

Qualified applicants will receive a total of two months of assistance for each qualifying utility. Assistance is based on a monthly average determined by relief specialists when reviewing submitted documentation. Assistance is paid directly to the utility company and will appear as a credit on your account.

Yes. A third party authorization form will be required.

A third party authorization form indicates to your Mortgage Servicer that you will allow them to remit information to us, and any other third parties you may be working with, regarding you and your mortgage. This action authorizes those same third parties to send the information you have provided to the Mortgage Servicer. 

A third party authorization form allows parties to share information in order to determine eligibility and ability to assist.

You can check payment status online with your confirmation code.

No. Emergency mortgage payments associated with Alaska Housing Homeowner Assistance are not considered taxable. For more information, click here.

No. AHFC will not report your information to credit bureaus as part of the application process. Applying for and/or receiving assistance will not impact a borrower’s credit score. However, borrowers need to remain current on all loan payments and/or payment arrangements, as servicing partners do report to credit bureaus.

Alaska Housing’s mission is to provide Alaskans access to safe, quality, affordable housing. If you continue to have financial challenges that make paying your mortgage or homeowner expenses difficult, we encourage you to review and take advantage of these resources to make sure you remain safely housed.

• Learn how to avoid foreclosure or if you are eligible for forbearance.
• Get free legal advice about keeping your home and your rights as a homeowner. 
• Get advice about how to make informed housing decisions by connecting with a HUD-certified housing counselor.
• For immediate help, please call or visit 2-1-1.