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CalHFA describes outreach and technical assistance for CalAssist mortgage relief; staff monitoring denials for unintended gaps
Summary
CalHFA staff told the board that CalAssist has approved $33 million for 986 homeowners and detailed proactive outreach, targeted notifications to previously denied applicants when eligibility changed, and coordination with HUD‑certified counselors and community partners to help survivors apply; staff is manually reviewing certain denials to avoid unintended exclusions.
Chief Deputy Director Rebecca Franklin updated the board on implementation and outreach for CalAssist, the agency’s mortgage relief program for disaster‑impacted homeowners. Franklin said staff have distributed $33 million in assistance to 986 homeowners and that roughly 80 percent of funds have gone to Eaton fire survivors, 16 percent to Palisades fire survivors and 4 percent to other disasters.
Franklin said CalHFA uses a multi‑pronged outreach approach: automated and targeted notifications to prior applicants when eligibility criteria change; direct outreach to applicants denied due to criteria now altered; education and coordination with HUD‑certified housing counselors, community‑based organizations and county caseworkers; and mail and text campaigns tied to affected addresses. She said the agency prioritizes helping the most vulnerable and will conduct manual reviews if there is evidence an eligible subgroup was unintentionally excluded.
Board members requested additional technical assistance support for community groups and asked that CalHFA follow up with partners who report access challenges. Franklin said staff will reach out to community partners such as Lori Gay and Supervisor Barger’s office, provide press kits and printed materials, and continue to refine term sheets if recurring barriers emerge.
What to watch: Whether manual reviews identify systematic barriers for specific survivor populations and whether staff propose term‑sheet adjustments that require board action.
