CHARLESTON, W.VA— Governor Jim Justice and the West Virginia Housing
Development Fund are pleased to announce the launch of a new program to help
West Virginia homeowners affected by COVID-19.
The West Virginia Homeowners Rescue Program distributes federal COVID-19
relief funds to eligible homeowners who have experienced a pandemic-related
hardship. The West Virginia Housing Development Fund, the state’s housing
finance agency, will administer the program on behalf of U.S. Treasury. We will
begin accepting applications Monday, March 28.
“If you’re a homeowner, especially if you’ve been hurting financially, you’ve got
to see if you can take advantage of this program because we can come running to the rescue. Any federal dollars that are available to the state, we want to try to
capitalize on that in any way we can,” Gov. Justice said. “Not only will we be able
to help you, but this will also be a major stimulus for our economy, because the
multiplier effect of these dollars will be enormous.”
The program is open to homeowners who are at or below 150 percent of Area
Median Income, have fallen behind on housing costs, and have experienced a
COVID-related hardship such as unemployment or reduced income. The program
will pay housing costs such as delinquent mortgages, back taxes, insurance
premiums, homeowners’ association fees, and utilities. Homeowners do not have
to have a mortgage to qualify for assistance.
“West Virginia leads the nation in homeownership, in part because of our low
housing costs. However, we recognize that COVID-19 has disrupted the economy and many West Virginians are struggling with their housing costs,” said Erica Boggess, executive director of the West Virginia Housing Development Fund.
“We really encourage all eligible West Virginia homeowners to apply for this
program, which can help homeowners catch up on their housing costs and
ultimately stay in their homes and avoid foreclosure.”
A full list of eligibility requirements and documents necessary to complete the
the website and have their information ready when the portal officially opens next
Monday, March 28. Online and downloadable paper applications can be found at