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HOF staff report heavy demand: nearly 950 HAP applicants; small landlord fund closed for 2025
Summary
URA staff told the Housing Opportunity Fund advisory board that the 2024/25 Homeowner Assistance Program attracted roughly 947 applications and that the Small Landlord Fund is closed for the 2025 round after demand exceeded available funds, leaving about 13 applicants unserved this year.
URA staff delivered administrative updates to the Housing Opportunity Fund advisory board on April 1, reporting strong demand for two programs and announcing new advisory board appointments.
Kiana Wasler, chief housing officer, reported that Action Housing handled intake for the recent Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) round and that the final application count was 947. Wasler said roughly 370 applicants reported incomes below 30 percent of area median income (AMI). She estimated HAP would serve "approximately 35 to 75" households in this round and said the URA would notify awardees in April and provide a fuller report in May once randomization and ranking steps are complete.
Wasler also reported that the Small Landlord Fund's application window is closed for the 2025 round because applications exceeded available funds; staff estimated about 13 applicants will not be served in this cycle. URA staff said the program will remain closed for at least a year unless additional funding is allocated.
The URA introduced two new HOF advisory board members: Rob Hellwig, who said he is a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Chelsea Wagner in Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas and will serve the board in the fair-housing advocate seat, and Becky Diego, who said she works in commercial real estate lending for Dollar Bank and will serve in the financial institution seat.
Board members asked for more detailed follow-up at the May meeting, including a full report on HAP randomization, exact award counts, and the Small Landlord Fund pipeline.
