Financial Assistance to Homeowners Impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic Now Available via Wisconsin Help for Homeowners Program

On Monday, March 7, Governor Tony Evers announced the launch of the Wisconsin Help for Homeowners (WHH) program—a $92 million statewide program. This comes at a much-needed and long-awaited time for City of Madison homeowners following the expiration of the federal moratorium on foreclosures in September 2021. Eligible homeowners (with and without a mortgage) who have experienced financial hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic can now receive financial assistance with overdue housing-related bills like mortgage payments, local property taxes, utilities, housing counseling and legal services.

Eligible households can receive a maximum award of $40,000. Total WHH monetary assistance below $10,000 will be structured as a grant. Assistance exceeding $10,000 will be provided as a 1-year, non-interest bearing, non-amortizing forgivable loan due in full upon sale, refinance, or transfer of ownership. If no resale, transfer, or refinance occurs within 1 year and the homeowner remains in the home, the loan will be fully forgiven.

You may qualify if you meet all of the following:

• Homeowner whose primary residence is a single-family home, condominium, owner-occupied 2- to 4-unit properties, or a manufactured home (permanently affixed and taxed as real property)
• Household income is at or below 100% Area Median Income
• Experienced a qualified hardship after January 21, 2020

Application is live and open on a first-come, first-served basis at homeownerhelp.wi.gov. To get additional information and assistance, call 1-855-2-HOME-WI (4663-94). Application portal and call center are available in Spanish, Hmong, and Somali in addition to English.

If you are a renter or landlord in need of financial assistance as a result of the pandemic, you can still access financial assistance through Dane CORE 2.0 Emergency Rental Assistance.