Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program Applications Accepted Monday

Applications for the new Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program, which Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz announced during the 2021 State of the City, will be accepted beginning 9 a.m., Monday, March 29 through 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 16.

The program will provide assistance to 150 low- to moderate-income households in the city, the mayor said.

“The pandemic has impacted everyone in our community and we are pleased to leverage federal funding to assist homeowners to continue to recover in 2021,” Mayor Kapszukiewicz said.

The program is operated by the Toledo Department of Neighborhoods and funded by $1,526,505 of Community Development Block Grant-CV funding.

Mortgage assistance will cover up to six consecutive months, including forbearance, past due balances, late fees, and penalties. Taxes and insurance may be paid if included in the regular mortgage payment. Residents may submit one application per property. Gross household income of applicants must not exceed 80 percent area median income. Applications will be accepted, processed, and approved based on a lottery.

Applications will only be accepted electronically. The application, and more information, is available at toledo.oh.gov/mortgage. Applicants may email questions to emap@toledo.oh.gov or call 419-245-1435.

There will be a pre-application workshop via Zoom at 6:30 p.m., today, March 26 at this link: https://toledo-oh-gov.zoom.us/j/84836132925.

There will be Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program outreach meetings for members of the public to complete applications in person with assistance, as follows:

• 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., March 30, at South Branch Library, 1736 Broadway
• 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., March 31, at Mott Branch Library, 1010 Dorr St.
• 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 1, at Reynolds Corner Branch Library, 4833 Dorr St.
• 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 6, at Lagrange Branch Library, 3422 Lagrange St.
• 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 7, at Sanger Branch Library, 3030 West Central Ave.
• 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 8, at Birmingham Branch Library, 203 Paine St.
• 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 10, at Main Library, 325 Michigan St.
• 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., April 13, at Heatherdowns Branch Library, 3265 Glanzman Rd.
• 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 14, at West Toledo Branch Library, 1320 Sylvania Ave.
• 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., April 15, at Washington Branch Library, 5560 Harvest Lane

To be eligible, the following guidelines must be met:

• The applicant must own a 1-4 unit residential property in Toledo.
• The property owner must occupy at least one unit as his or her primary residence.
• The owner must have a first-lien or primary mortgage with a forbearance or past due balance due to COVID-19.
• The mortgage must have been current as of Feb. 29, 2020.
• The property must not be listed for sale.
• The household of the applicant must demonstrate a loss of income due to COVID-19.
• The household of the applicants must have a maximum household income at or below 80 percent AMI.

The Kapszukiewicz administration launched a number of programs to help Toledoans during the pandemic:

• The Emergency Rental Assistance Fund, which assisted approximately 700 eligible households with up to three months of rent payments.
• The Home at Last Program, a down payment assistance program for eligible first-time home buyers. It helps income-eligible first-time home buyers with up to $7,500 to use toward the purchase of a home and up to $9,500 in target neighborhoods.
• The Emergency Microenterprise Recovery Grant, designed to assist for-profit microenterprises to maintain or restart operations and retain jobs by providing up to $5,000 for eligible operating expenses.
• The Lead Safety Compliance Early Bird Matching Grant, a grant program to help property owners become compliant with the city’s Residential Rental Properties and Lead Safety Compliance law.
• Two rental assistance programs for homeless Toledo Public Schools students, which are partnerships of the city, the Toledo Lucas County Homelessness Board, Toledo Public Schools, Lutheran Social Services of Northwest Ohio, and financial opportunity centers.

###