COVID help
h Black people had submitted 648 applications: 123 were approved, 125 denied, and 20 withdrawn.
h Native American people had submitted 411 applications: 69 were approved, 89 denied, and 10 withdrawn.
h Hispanic/Latino people had submitted 215 applications: 29 were approved, 62 denied, and five withdrawn.
What has the Oklahoma Homeowner Assistance Fund paid for so far?
h Mortgage reinstatement: $3,551,448.
h Mortgage payment assistance: $334,598.
h Homeowner’s insurance: $23,381.
h Homeowners association dues: $25,085.
h Property taxes: $14,047.
h Housing counseling through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: $14,047.
Receiving help was a life-changing experience for these homeowners
Sherry said the help she and her husband got to deal with the loss of business income because of the COVID shutdown was “a godsend.”
“Things were shutting down and everything came to a stop, and so our savings went to the bills, and then we came to a big lump sum on property taxes. We were strapped,” she said.
Trevesia said when she first heard help was available, she didn’t believe it.
“I thought, ‘This is a joke. I’m not going to be able to qualify for it,’ but I said let me try and see what the outcome would be. I had taken sick with COVID twice in one year. I had lost my income. Income was short, and I just didn’t know where I was going to get the funds.
“I applied and my back taxes were paid for. And when I say a blessing, it was. I was shocked.”
Anita’s situation was bleak, and that she and her husband couldn’t have coped without the assistance.
“My home fell into foreclosure, and we were going to have to move, despite both of us having so many health problems. I almost lost my home and (they) saved it. They stopped the foreclosure and are (helping) me with my mortgage payments.”
Senior Business Writer Richard Mize has covered housing, construction, commercial real estate and related topics for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com since 1999. Contact him at rmize@oklahoman.com. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Real Estate with Richard Mize.