State consolidates housing assistance programs

This week the state of New Mexico announced it has consolidated its housing assistance programs into a single access point called the New Mexico Home Fund.

Through these programs, a total of about $167.1 million in rent aid has been awarded and the state has received another $55 million in federal funds to support homeowners, according to a state press release.

“The Home Fund provides a single access point for several emergency housing programs, including rental assistance, utility assistance, temporary housing assistance, relocation assistance, eviction prevention support, and now homeowner assistance,” said Henry Valdez, spokesperson for the NM Home Fund.

Many New Mexicans are still struggling to pay their rent, utilities and make mortgage payments, due to the effects of the pandemic on the economy, Valdez said.

These programs are geared towards providing help for people “in this difficult situation and to make things a little easier for them,” he said.

For those who qualify for this financial assistance, the average New Mexican will receive about $4,000 for rent and $700 to pay utilities, he said.

“The main function of the rental portions is to keep people housed and avoid evictions,” he said. “A number of New Mexicans fell under financial hardships during the pandemic – the emergency rent assistance is geared to help these individuals.”

This economic situation “transcends” to homeowners, too, he said.

“The homeowner portion of the NM Home Fund helps New Mexicans avoid foreclosure due to financial hardship caused during the pandemic,” the release states. “Eligible homeowners can receive assistance for past due mortgage payments, including payments in forbearance, as well as property taxes, home insurance, utilities, and other associated housing expenses. As with rental assistance, this support does not have to be repaid. To date the program has provided over $8M to 1,317 households.”

“The Homeowner Assistance Program is now being administered by the State in partnership with the New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority (MFA),” the release states. 

In Roosevelt County, about $1.5 million has been provided in rental and utility assistance in the last year, Valdez said.

Vincent Soule, deputy director of the Eastern Plains Council of Governments, said there is “a significant need for housing assistance in Clovis. Many people call our office, United Way and the Salvation Army trying to find assistance, especially for rent assistance.”

“With inflation and the exacerbation of income inequality,” the need for assistance is even greater, Soule said.

A few years ago at the onset of the pandemic, “the need outpaced what we were able to assist with,” he said.

“The Home Fund is a public-facing consolidation of the Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) and the Homeowners Assistance Fund (HAF),” Valdez said in an email. “The New Mexico Home Fund is administered by the State Department of Finance and Administration and is funded by federal grants from the U.S. Department of Treasury.”

These programs can be accessed at nmhomefund.org, as stated in the release.