Step Forward Michigan - WKTV Journal

By Brenda Long, Michigan State University Extension

Some homeowners are still having financial difficulties even though the foreclosure rate in Michigan has significantly declined in recent years with the economy and employment rates improving. All it can take is one large unexpected expense, unemployment or life change. Fortunately, nearly $19 million in funds are still available for eligible delinquent homeowners to get caught up and keep their home.

Bill Hendrian and I have written previous articles about Michigan’s Hardest Hit Fund program, also known as Step Forward Michigan. This federally funded loan program started in 2010 and is designed to help eligible homeowners who are struggling with their mortgage, condo association fees, and/or property taxes to retain ownership of their primary residence. As of September 2018, nearly 37,000 Michigan households in all 83 counties received more than $39 million in assistance, according to MSHDA.

Currently, this is the only statewide assistance program to get caught up on delinquent property taxes. If homeowners are behind three years, on 2016 taxes, they have started receiving notices from their county treasurers about facing foreclosure if those 2016 taxes are not paid by Mar. 31, 2019. Last year, my experience was that homeowners needed to apply to Step Forward Michigan by January to allow for processing time. Situations are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Most homeowners who procrastinated or did not apply until February or March were not approved in time for this assistance earlier this year. The lesson learned was to apply this fall if you are facing foreclosure with delinquent 2016 property taxes.

Watch a short video for guidance about the Step Forward Michigan application process. The online application can be completed in three ways:

Go to the Step Forward Michigan website and complete the application yourself plus email, fax or mail the signed application and supporting documents to Step Forward Michigan.
Call Step Forward Michigan at 866-946-7432 to apply by phone.
Michigan State University Extension Housing Counselors or other local housing counselors can help homeowners fill out the online application, submit all the required documents, and follow-up until a decision is made. During the past eight years, thousands of Michigan homeowners who worked with our counselors have received assistance to save their homes from foreclosure.

If approved, up to $30,000 is paid directly to the participating mortgage servicer or county treasurer for application directly to the household’s mortgage loan or property taxes. No interest and no payments are required from the homeowner. As cases are reviewed, a lien is placed on the property for five years and 20 percent of the loan is forgiven per year. At the end of the five years, the loan is forgiven. During the five-year period, if the property is transferred, sold, or is no longer the principal residence, the non-forgivable portion is due.

For further information or to see if you qualify for assistance you can go to Step Forward Michigan for a list of frequently asked questions and access an online application and a list of documents that are required to submit an application.

If you do not qualify for Step Forward Michigan, helpful resources are provided to consider other options available.

Facing foreclosure is a difficult financial situation for homeowners. Fortunately many are getting back on track to become current with their payments and keep their homes and stay living in their communities. Find fact sheets and more information about mortgage and property tax foreclosure at MIMoneyHealth.org.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Many have probably seen the animated ad with the house running away from its owner. The ad is for the state run program Step Forward Michigan, a federally funded program designed to help homeowners facing foreclosure. A program, Kent County Treasurer Kenneth Parrish strongly supports.

“I’m a big supporter of the Step Forward Michigan program,” Parrish said during a recent news conference that brought together county treasurers for Kent, Ottawa and Kalamazoo counties along with representatives from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. THE MSHDA oversees the Step Forward Michigan program in collaboration with the Michigan Homeowner Assistance nonprofit Housing Corporation.

“Since 2010, the program has helped nearly 1,700 Kent County residents with over $15 million in loans making us the fourth largest user of the program,” Parrish said, adding that of that about $13.9 million was used to cover mortgage payments, $1.2 million for unpaid property taxes and another $15,000 for condominium payments.

Federal funded with $500 million, almost 35,000 Michigan homeowners have qualified for around $308 million in loans since the program started seven years ago. There is about $40 million left to help eligible households but the clock is ticking as the deadline to apply is 2020.

“The Step Forward Program offers great opportunities for families to stabilize their situation and to save their homes,” Parrish said. “We take no pleasure on foreclosing on homes here in Kent County. If you have fallen behind in your property tax, mortgage or condominium payments, I urge you to check out the Step Forward Michigan Program and see if you can get a load that will ultimately help you keep your home.”

Those who have been hit with a hardship – medical event, job loss or underemployment, death, divorce, one-time critical out-of-pocket expense – can get up to a $30,000 interest-free loan to get caught up on property tax, mortgage or condo payments. If the homeowner stays in the home for five years, the loan is forgiven and they do not have to pay back the loan, according to MSHDA Executive Director Earl Poleski.

Kent County Treasurer Kenneth Parrish talks about the Step Forward Michigan program at a recent news conference.

To qualify for assistance, a homeowner must be a Michigan resident, have an ownership interest in the property and be able to sign a new mortgage lien on property, occupy property as his or her primary resident, have enough income to cover the mortgage, condo association fees, and/or property tax payments going forward, and have cash reserves no greater than $10,000.

Any homeowner convicted in the past 10 years on a financial-related felony, including larceny, theft, fraud, forgery, money laundering and/or tax evasion, is not eligible for the program.

A homeowner can receive a loan only once from the program. The average loan amount has been $7,383. Loan payments go directly to the county treasurers office, mortgage lender or condominium association, not to the homeowner

According to state officials, the process to find out if a home owner is eligible is easier than filling out a full mortgage application. Those interested can go to StepForwardMichigan.org and fill out the questions to see if they are eligible or call 866-946-7432.

Kent County residents can also reach out to the Inner City Christian Federation or ICCF at 616-336-9333 or the Home Repair Services of Kent County at 616-241-2601.