St. Johns Housing Partnership

Volunteer groups spread out across the county to help ten families with the same holiday wish: A wheelchair ramp on their home.

From St. Augustine to Elkton to Hastings, volunteers from Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, Trinity Ramp Squad and St Johns County Fire Department built ramps large and small for the families in need.

SJHP couldn’t do what we do without the hundreds of hours of time from our volunteers.

Thank you all for giving the most precious gift of all: your time.

Please stay tuned as we continue to improve our site.

The Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) is a federal program to help homeowners in states with excessive housing market depreciation or homes “under water.”

Florida has been allocated over $1 billion to help an estimated 40,000 homeowners. HHF is designed for unemployed or underemployed borrowers. If homeowners qualify, HHF provides funds directly to the borrowers’ mortgage company.

The Florida Housing Finance Corporation (FHFC) is administering HHF in Florida. FHFC works with local agencies to meet with homeowners and determine program eligibility and perform closings. HHF has two programs: Unemployment Mortgage Assistance Program (UMAP) and Mortgage Loan Reinstatement Program (MLRP).

UMAP provides assistance up to 6 months on first mortgages to eligible homeowners with a maximum payout of $12,000. The payment includes principal, interest, property taxes, and homeowners insurance. Homeowners must contribute 25% of gross income (before taxes) or at least $70 per month if no income; HHF will pay the rest. To receive assistance each month, homeowners must meet with their local advisor and provide proof that they are still unemployed or underemployed.

MLRP helps bring first mortgages current for homeowners who have returned to work or can now pay their mortgage. Homeowners in UMAP who can now afford their monthly payment are eligible for MLRP, which will pay any delinquency. Maximum payout for MLRP is $6000, unless homeowners first in UMAP did not use all of the $12,000. If both programs are used, maximum payout is $18,000.

UMAP and MLRP have eligibility criteria that homeowners must meet, including: no more than 180 days delinquent on first mortgages that cannot exceed $400,000; household income cannot exceed 140% of area median income; mortgage must date prior to January 1, 2009; and home-owners cannot own more than one other property. For a complete list of eligibility criteria, read “Frequently Asked Questions” on HHF’s website at www.flhardesthithelp.org.

The St. Johns Housing Partnership has three advisors (Beki Olsen, Joy Bryant, and Cassy Barbour) to assist homeowners with the HHF program in St. Johns, Clay, Flagler, and Putnam counties. Since the program started five months ago, they have assisted seventy homeowners.

If you wish to apply for the HHF program or inquire further, contact SJHP’s credit counseling office at 904-819-1266.

Coretta Tomblin was doing ok. She owns her home, she had a good job. Everything was good. And then, like so many people in today’s economy, Coretta lost her job and before she knew it, she was struggling to keep things afloat.

Enter the St. Johns Housing Partnership and the weatherization program. Coretta said, “The program made a difference in my life.”

Coretta said that after she lost her job, she struggled to pay her high utility bills and often had to choose between paying her electric bill and buying groceries. It is a familiar struggle for many weatherization clients who often live on fixed incomes.

Once the weatherization crew put weather-stripping around her doors, caulked her windows, sealed some holes and replaced insulation, things changed again for Coretta.

“My light bill went way down,” she said. Within one month, Coretta was seeing the difference weatherization can make.

“I don’t know how I would have survived without this program,” Coretta said.

Do you know someone who could benefit from having their home weatherized?

Coretta's home is now energy-efficient.