Tuesday, April 7, 2026

State Expands Fire Survivors’ Mortgage Fund to a Full Year of Payments, Urges Altadena Homeowners to Apply

THERESE EDU

CalHFA says significant funding remains from the $105 million program, which now covers up to $100,000 in grants that never have to be repaid

Homeowners whose properties were destroyed or left uninhabitable by the Eaton Fire and other qualifying California disasters can now receive up to a full year of mortgage payments through the state’s CalAssist Mortgage Fund — a four-fold increase from the three months of assistance available when the program launched last June, according to Rebecca Franklin, chief deputy director of the California Housing Finance Agency.

The $105 million fund, backed by National Mortgage Settlement dollars, distributes grants on a first-come, first-served basis. Franklin said a large portion of approved applicants are from the Altadena area and urged eligible homeowners to apply now while significant funding remains. As of the program’s February expansion announcement, $6.5 million had been disbursed to 793 recipients statewide, leaving the vast majority of the allocation available, according to the Governor’s Office.

“When we first launched the program, it was three months, and now it’s a full year worth of mortgage payments that you never have to pay back,” Franklin said.

The CalAssist Mortgage Fund, created at Governor Newsom’s request, launched in June with three months of mortgage assistance capped at $20,000 per homeowner and an LA County income ceiling of $140,700, according to program records. CalHFA raised the limit to $211,050 in October and to $281,400 in February 2026, when the agency also extended the benefit to 12 months and increased the maximum grant to $100,000, according to the Governor’s Office.

Franklin said the agency initially focused on the most vulnerable homeowners, then broadened eligibility after reviewing data and hearing from applicants.

“When we first launched, we wanted to make sure that we prioritized the funds for the most vulnerable homeowners in these survivor circumstances, but we also took the opportunity to see that we had the ability to help more people, more money, more people, and really help in a significant way rebuild these communities,” she said.

Homeowners who received the initial three months of assistance can return for an additional nine months, bringing their total to a full year, Franklin said. New applicants receive the full 12 months.

“If homeowners did get the initial three months from the CalAssist Mortgage Fund program, we’re urging them to come back to the program because they can receive an additional nine months,” she said.

The fund covers homeowners whose primary residences were destroyed or deemed uninhabitable by qualifying disasters — those receiving a State of Emergency or Major Disaster Declaration — between January 2023 and January 2025, according to CalHFA and Cal OES program guidelines. Eligible property types include single-family homes, condominiums, and permanently affixed manufactured homes of up to four units, according to CalHFA documentation. Homeowners who are current on their mortgage, in forbearance, or behind on payments may apply, according to the Governor’s Office.

Grants are disbursed directly to the homeowner’s mortgage servicer rather than to the individual, according to CalHFA. The assistance is a grant that never has to be repaid.

Franklin said the biggest hesitation among potential applicants is the sense that the program seems too good to be true.

“We are conscientious of this seems too good to be true. And I think that’s probably the biggest hesitation people have, but it’s real,” she said.

CalHFA is a state governmental entity, Franklin said, and the program exists to support homeowners who did not cause the disasters that damaged their homes.

“You didn’t cause these fires and you deserve this help and assistance,” she said.

Franklin said the 12-month relief window changes each household’s trajectory differently but has a positive impact no matter what. Some homeowners have used the savings on their mortgage payments toward rebuilding costs, she said, and one homeowner whose supplemental rental assistance was running out used the mortgage relief toward rent during the rebuild.

“We’ve heard stories of people directly being able to use the funds that they saved on their mortgage for the actual rebuild process as they’re understanding kind of the different costs,” she said.

At the program’s June launch, Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency Secretary Tomiquia Moss said the fund would ease financial pressure and give survivors breathing room as they navigate rebuilding, according to Cal OES.

CalHFA works with recovery groups at the city, county, and legislative levels and is in contact with the office of Supervisor Kathryn Barger in the Altadena area, the California Office of Emergency Services, and Housing and Community Development, Franklin said. The agency has hosted in-person sessions with community-based organizations in Altadena.

Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County also provides in-person counseling for CalAssist applicants at the Collaboratory, 540 W. Woodbury Rd. in Pasadena, according to the nonprofit’s website.

On the legislative side, Assemblymember John Harabedian introduced AB 1847 in February 2026 to extend mandatory mortgage forbearance for disaster survivors from 12 months under AB 238 to 36 months, according to legislative records. A companion bill, AB 1842, would create a permanent statewide framework. Both bills remain pending.

The application takes less than 30 minutes with the required documents, which include two months of bank statements and mortgage statements, Franklin said. Homeowners can apply at calassistmortgagefund.org, call 1-800-501-0019, or work with a HUD-certified housing counselor at no charge. The contact center offers assistance in multiple languages.

“We can help them all,” Franklin said.