The Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP)

Avoid Mortgage Foreclosure

Since 1984, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) has offered a unique program that helps people who—through no fault of their own—are facing mortgage foreclosure: the Homeowners Emergency Mortgage Assistance Program (HEMAP).

HEMAP helps people bring their mortgage payments up-to-date through a loan from the state, as long as they have a reasonable prospect of resuming full mortgage payments within two years.

The HEMAP Help Center

RHLS designed the HEMAP Help Center because a high number of HEMAP applications were not successful in obtaining loans. The Help Center assists applicants by:

• Providing information about the HEMAP program, application, and other relevant topics.
• Offering a free and prompt on-line critique of their application plus constructive comments by an experienced attorney.

Reviewers at the Help Center also search for indications that the loan in question might be a “predatory mortgage”—where a lender misled, tricked or even coerced the applicant into taking out a home loan at excessive costs and without regard to the homeowner's ability to repay. If this is the case, RHLS makes appropriate referrals to private attorneys or a legal aid office.

Resources & Links

• HEMAP Help Center
• PHFA HEMAP website
• Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN)