COLUMBUS — The Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) wants to remind Ohio homeowners that help is available if they’re facing foreclosure as a result of financial hardship due to the pandemic.

The Save the Dream Ohio program provides assistance to eligible Ohio homeowners who are facing foreclosure or cannot afford to pay their mortgage, utility bills or other related housing costs as a result of economic hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We know there are Ohio families still dealing with the economic impact of the pandemic,” said Shawn Smith, Executive Director of the Ohio Housing Finance Agency. “The moratorium on foreclosures has ended and if Ohioans are still facing foreclosure, the Save the Dream Ohio may be able to help.”

The Save the Dream Ohio program has two components: Mortgage Assistance, which is administered by OHFA, and Utility Assistance Plus, which is administered on OHFA’s behalf by local Community Action Agencies. The Mortgage Assistance component provides eligible Ohio homeowners with financial assistance to pay delinquent mortgage payments and/or future mortgage payments for up to six months. While the amount of assistance may vary by household, an eligible household may receive up to $25,000 in mortgage assistance.

Homeowners that need assistance paying utility bills, non-escrowed property taxes, and other qualified housing costs may be eligible for assistance through the Utility Assistance Plus component of the program. A household may receive up to $10,000 in utility and/or housing cost assistance. A list of participating Community Action Agencies may be found on the Save the Dream Ohio website.

Ohio homeowners should visit savethedream.ohiohome.org or call 888-404-4674 to learn more about the programs or to start the mortgage assistance application process.

To be eligible for the Save the Dream Ohio program, a household must:

• Be a homeowner with primary residence in Ohio;

• Have experienced a financial hardship, loss of income, or increase in expenses related to the pandemic after January 21, 2020; and

• Meet the program’s annual income eligibility threshold, which is $147,600 for a family of four (a complete income chart can be found on the program website).

Applicants will need to submit a copy of their most recent mortgage statement and most recent tax return or proof of income for the most recent 30-day period with their mortgage assistance application. When completing an application for assistance with utility bills, non-escrowed property taxes, and other housing costs, homeowners will need to provide copies of those bills as well as proof of income.

To learn more about the program visit savethedream.ohiohome.org or call 888-404-4674.The state of Ohio was awarded $280 million from the U.S. Department of Treasury through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for the program. The program is expected to continue through September 30, 2025 or until the available funding is depleted.