November 20, 2023

Greetings and Happy Holidays to you and your family:

Though our holiday greeting is a bit early, we wanted to let you know that the online Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund (NHAF) application is now available.

You will find the program application link at https://www.nativecap.org/nhoafund – to begin the application, register or login and then click on the “Apply Now” button.

We are only launching the two priority programs this week – Monthly Mortgage Payment Assistance and Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance. Also, only the first 100 applicants will be accepted for these two programs as a final systems test. Any needed application updates will be made and thereafter the application will be open to all interested applicants.

The Home Repair Assistance application will be launched by the end of November, and the Mortgage Principal Reduction Assistance and Clear Title Assistance applications will be launched by mid-December.

We appreciate your continued support and patience as we and our vendors work to establish an optimal application experience for the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund. You may still contact us by phone at 855-628-2272 or by email at dean@nativecap.org if you’re experiencing any issues with any applications.

Sincerely,

Native Community Capital

The Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund (NHAF) is made possible with federal stimulus funds and the Biden Administration. The funds shall be offered to eligible applicants with a demonstrated need to maintain homeownership. The funding shall be deployed over a three-year period ending on September 30, 2026 and with priority to Navajo homeowners most affected by the COVID pandemic.

Many more Navajo families live outside of the Navajo Nation than on the tribe’s lands. Navajo families have worked hard to establish homes away from Dinétah to pursue higher education, to secure employment, and other opportunities not yet available on our homelands. Yet, Navajo families have been affected more severely by the COVID pandemic than the general population. As a result, the accomplishment of Navajo homeownership has been affected.

The Office of the President and Vice-President recognize the sacrifices Navajo families have made to provide for their immediate and extended families by establishing homeownership in urban areas and such accomplishments must be preserved.

Any enrolled member of the Navajo Nation who owns a home is eligible. The following details must be verified prior to accessing the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund

1. At least one homeowner listed on the mortgage must be an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation.
2. Home must be the homeowner’s primary residence
3. The home must be located on fee-simple land (i.e. off-reservation) in Arizona or New Mexico. Colorado and Utah residents will be eligible by mid-2024.

Per determinations made by the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund is only available to enrolled members of the Navajo Nation residing on fee-simple lands (non-reservation) in Arizona and New Mexico in 2023 and Colorado and Utah by mid-2024. As a contractor for the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund, we are obligated to abide by any all restrictions (residency, income, etc.) associated with the enabling legislation as well as tribal and federal guidelines of the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund. Nevertheless, we will track interest in the program from enrolled members of the Navajo Nation who reside outside of AZ, NM, CO and UT and will report such inquiries to the Office of the President and Vice-President. As such, we encourage you to provide your Contact Information HERE.

Yes, the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund shall prioritize Navajo homeowners whose household income has been affected such that their homes are in danger of foreclosure – those households shall receive priority assistance. Moreover, Navajo homeowners who have been unable to repair their homes due to loss of income during the pandemic shall be eligible for a forgivable loan of up to $100,000 to make repairs necessary to preserve the structural integrity of their homes or to relieve overcrowding. Luxury upgrades (sun-room, man-cave, etc.) are not eligible.

The Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund consists of the five separate programs listed below. Contact Native Community Capital to learn more about the specific program requirements of each.

1. Monthly Mortgage Payment Assistance (maximum assistance $72,000)
2. Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance (maximum assistance $50,000)
3. Mortgage Principal Reduction Assistance (maximum assistance $100,000)
4. Home Repair Assistance (loan) – (maximum assistance $100,000)
5. Clear Title Assistance (maximum assistance $30,000)

Each eligible applicant is limited to a total maximum, combined loan/assistance amount of $125,000.00 under the various Assistance Funds described below.  The maximum amount can be reached through a combination of the different Assistance Funds available to assist Applicants to remain in their homes, complete necessary home rehab repairs and reduce the risk of foreclosure. Each Applicant’s application request for assistance will be reviewed for eligibility and justification for the level of assistance requested. HAF Project reserves the right to modify/change the Assistance Funds and the related assistance amounts offered without prior
notice.

Each of the following Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund programs has varying qualification requirements. Submit your contact information and an NCC staff person will call you to review the option(s) that are best for you.

Monthly Mortgage Payment Assistance (maximum assistance $72,000)

This Assistance Fund will benefit Navajo homeowners who are at risk of payment delinquency or foreclosure due to a loss of household income. It will provide monthly mortgage assistance to eligible households, not to exceed a maximum term of 24 months with up to $3,000 in monthly mortgage assistance. The monthly mortgage assistance amount will vary on a case-by-case basis.

Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance (maximum assistance $50,000)

This Assistance Fund will benefit Navajo homeowners who are in active forbearance, delinquency, or default status and at risk of losing their homes. It provides financial assistance to allow a homeowner to reinstate a mortgage or to pay other housing-related costs related to a period of forbearance, delinquency, or default.

Mortgage Principal Reduction Assistance (maximum assistance $100,000)

This Assistance Fund will benefit Navajo homeowners who, due to extreme property valuation changes, find the Fair Market Value of their home is less than the price at which the homeowner purchased the home and which may result in a financial loss through the erosion of equity.

Home Repair Assistance (loan) – (maximum assistance $100,000)

This Assistance Fund will benefit Navajo homeowners who require significant home repairs or additions without which the safety, reliability and sufficiency of housing is at risk. It will prevent homeowner displacement by providing funds for home repairs to a existing primary residence and to maintain the habitability of a home, including the
reasonable addition of habitable space to alleviate overcrowding, or assistance to enable households to receive clear title to their properties.

Clear Title Assistance (maximum assistance $30,000)

Any household with an outstanding mortgage balance under $30,000 will be eligible for one-time, non-recourse grant assistance to pay off the existing mortgage balance on a primary residence and receive clear title to the residence. If the property has more than one mortgage lien, then the combined, outstanding mortgage balances must be under $30,000 to qualify for this assistance.

Financial hardship means a material reduction in income or material increase in living expenses associated with the coronavirus pandemic that has created or increased a risk of mortgage delinquency, mortgage default, foreclosure, loss of utilities or home energy services, or displacement for a homeowner.

Yes, per the federal regulations governing these funds, the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund is an income restricted program. However, where most federally funded programs are restricted to low- and very-low income households, the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund allows medium-income and higher-income Navajo homeowners to receive financial relief.

As an example, a family of four in Maricopa County in Arizona earning as much as $140,250 a year may still be eligible for the tax-free, non-repayable funds to pay their mortgage or repair their homes. The income eligibility calculation will vary depending on the county in which you reside and other factors specific to your household. Speak with one of NCC’s licensed professionals to learn what limits may apply to your household.

This LINK shall be referenced in calculating eligibility.

Each of the five programs that are part of the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund differ in their requirements. Contact Native Community Capital to learn about the program that is best for you. Some of the documentation that may be required include the following:

1. Loan Application (no credit or debt ratio limits to qualify)
2. Copy of Photo Identification and Proof of Tribal Membership
3. Income Documents
4. Contractor’s Quotes Required for Home Repair Projects
5. Copy of Mortgage Documents
6. Additional Documents as required by underwriter

Yes, the program is available on a first come, first served basis and with certain application prioritization exceptions. Program applications expire after 90 days if the applications submitted remains incomplete. Applicants may re-apply during any of The Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund program funding dates:

NHAF 1   October 1, 2023*  –  March 31, 2024

NHAF 2   April 1, 2024 – September 30, 2024

NHAF 3  October 1, 2024  –  March 31, 2025

NHAF 4  April 1, 2025 – September 30, 2025

NHAF 5  October 1, 2025  –  March 31, 2026

NHAF 6  April 1, 2026 – September 30, 2026

*NHAF dates are subject to delay depending on the date the Navajo Nation releases funds for the program.

No, the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund are grant funds that do not need to be repaid with one exception. If you receive funds for home repairs, one-third is forgiven each year for three years. If you sell the home that was repaired with Navajo Homeowner Assistance Funds sooner than three years, a pro-rated portion of the funds must be repaid. 

There are no fees or charges necessary to apply to the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund.

The Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund is funded with federal stimulus funds that must be deployed consistent with the time limits established. Any Navajo Homeowner Assistance Funds not deployed by September 30, 2026 must be returned to the US Treasury. President Dr. Buu Nygren has committed to deploy all Navajo Homeowner Assistance Funds to eligible Navajo households prior to the deadline. Because many more enrolled members of the Navajo Nation own homes off the reservation as opposed to on the reservation and because most Navajo members living off reservation are not typically able to access services from the Navajo tribal government, a decision was made to prioritize Navajo households who are homeowners living off the Navajo Nation.

Native Community Capital is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit, Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) certified by the U.S. Department of the Treasury. NCC is a licensed mortgage lender serving American Indian homebuyers. NCC serves as a lender and honest broker to unlock the capital needed to build tribal economies and has been selected by the Navajo Office of the President and Vice-President to manage the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Fund.

NMLS  1950947 Mortgage Banker 1012372

Information updates on the Navajo Homeowner Assistance Funds are sent via email and only to individuals who have requested an application by submitting their Contact Information. Now that the application is open, individuals who submit an application will receive updates from their assigned NCC staff person. Check the top of the FAQ section on this webpage regularly as updates will be provided here.

Register on the NHOA Fund webpage then login and select “Apply Now”. The first program applications for Arizona and New Mexico homeowners are now available. The first applications available are the Mortgage Reinstatement Assistance and the Monthly Mortgage Payment Assistance program applications. This is consistent with the program’s intent to prioritize households in danger of losing their homes to foreclosure.

Applications for the remaining programs (Home Repair Assistance, Mortgage Principal Reduction Assistance and Clear Title Assistance) will be available prior to the end of 2023. Check the top of the FAQ section on this webpage regularly as updates will be provided here.

In 2023, only applicants in Arizona and New Mexico shall be served. In addition, by mid-2024 applicants in Colorado and Utah will be served.