CalHFA staff told the board that the agency will open a new mortgage assistance program to help homeowners displaced or rendered uninhabitable by declared disasters and that the application portal is scheduled to open June 12, with a public launch event in Altadena on June 5.

Chief Deputy Director Rebecca Franklin and Kelly Madsen, director of enterprise risk and special initiatives, said the program will use remaining funds from the National Mortgage Settlement (NMS) and will provide up to three months of mortgage payments, capped at $20,000 or actual three‑month mortgage obligation, whichever is less. Eligibility will be limited to owner‑occupied primary residences destroyed or declared uninhabitable by a state proclamation of emergency or a federal major disaster declaration occurring between Jan. 1, 2023 and Jan. 8, 2025. Staff said household income eligibility will be up to 100% AMI using the 2025 AMI limits and that the principal first mortgage must be at or below the county‑level 2025 conforming loan limit at the time of financing.

Franklin said CalHFA will leverage lessons from the federally funded California Mortgage Relief program: it will work through HUD‑certified housing counselors and community‑based organizations, operate a contact center, and maintain an application portal that allows staff to code denials and notify applicants if eligibility rules change. Because many disaster victims lose documents in a disaster, staff emphasized outreach and partner education before the June 12 application opening so applicants can locate or reconstruct required documents.

Kelly Madsen said partner education and training will begin immediately with housing counselors, servicers, legal aid and community partners. The agency plans to begin distributing funds to eligible applicants in July and will continue until funds are exhausted.

Board members asked for lists of regional community‑based organizations and HUD‑certified counseling partners; staff agreed to provide county‑sorted partner lists. Several board members praised the program’s rapid design and the agency’s partnerships with other state agencies (Cal OES, HCD) and the administration to reach disaster survivors.

Franklin emphasized program design choices intended to focus limited funds on the most vulnerable homeowners: owner‑occupied homes, 2025 AMI limits, a county conforming loan cap, and prioritization of households with demonstrated disaster‑related housing loss. She invited board members to attend the June 5 launch in Altadena and said the agency will coordinate press and outreach with state recovery partners.