Florida's $676 million in mortgage relief: Lake Worth Beach woman never gave up on trying to save her home

WEST PALM BEACH — Monday was the day the bank was scheduled to foreclose on the Lake Worth Beach home Monica Figueroa had lived in for 13 years.

Instead, she stood just outside of the Robert Weisman Palm Beach County Government Center as local Democrats urged residents to seek housing help through an assistance program signed into law by President Joe Biden.

During the past two weeks, Figueroa, 51, is one of the nearly 25,000 Floridians who applied for help through the Homeowner's Assistance Fund, which is administered by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity.

So far, fewer than 400 applicants have received a piece of the $676 million Florida got for coronavirus pandemic housing relief that was part of Biden's American Rescue Plan.

For years, Figueroa didn't need any government help.

She worked as a district manager in retail and was proud of the fact that she was the first and only member of her family to own a home, which she shared with her two daughters, a son, a daughter's spouse and five grandchildren.

In April 2020, Figueroa became an economic casualty of the pandemic, losing her job and plunging her family into financial crisis.

She didn't share her fears with her children or grandchildren.

"I didn't want them to worry about me," she said.

She pounded the pavement, looking for work even as the economy continued to contract. She called her lender. She called government staff members and local elected officials, too.

"I was just calling everybody," she said.

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She thought, for a thrilling moment, that a call she received in the midst of the crisis was salvation.

The caller had somehow learned of her financial difficulties and offered her help. It was just the break she needed to save the family home.

Figueroa said she realized it was a scam when the caller told her to go to a department store and purchase gift cards as part of her own assistance program.

It was a crushing realization that came at a difficult time.

"Emotionally, this was really hurtful to me," Figueroa read from prepared remarks on Monday as she stood next to U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel, D-West Palm Beach, and state Sens. Lori Berman, D-Boynton Beach and Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton.

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As the family's financial crisis deepened, Figueroa said her water service was cut off when she couldn't pay the monthly bill.

Palm Beach County provided help that eventually got her water service restored. Neighbors helped, and her children offered help from their own jobs.

A brother who lives in upstate New York said she and the members of her household could come to stay with them.

But Figueroa said she couldn't give up on the idea of somehow keeping her home.

She eventually reached a loan assistant who told her to keep fighting.

"She gave me so much hope," Figueroa. "She told me to not give up, to call anyone and everyone who would listen because I had to fight for my home. That was all I needed to hear to begin to start my quest."

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Figueroa said she reached out to local officials, all of whom directed her to the DEO's Homeowner's Assistance Fund.

The fund provides up to $50,000 in non-taxable assistance for eligible homeowners needing help to pay for their mortgage, utilities, homeowner or condominium association fees, homeowner's insurance, internet services and property taxes.

To be eligible, a homeowner must have experienced a financial hardship because of the pandemic that began or continued after Jan. 21, 2020.

The applicant must be a Florida homeowner requesting assistance for their primary residence.

Assistance is restricted to those whose income is less than or equal to 150% of the area median income or 100% of the median income of the United States, whichever is greater.

Figueroa met the program's qualifications and was provided with the assistance she needed to stay in her home.

On Tuesday, she'll mark the one year anniversary of a new job as an administrative assistant.

She described the housing help as a miracle, but Frankel had a different take.

"It wasn't a miracle," she said. "It was President Biden and congressional Democrats."

That brought a chuckle and nods from those standing with the local Democrats.

Help available for renters too

While the Homeowner's Assistance Fund is restricted to homeowners, Jonathan Brown, Palm Beach County's Housing and Economic Development director, said the county can help some renters who are struggling with the giant increases in rent that have become typical in the current market.

Information about how the county can help is provided on its website.

Frankel said residents need to know that help is available for those struggling with housing costs.

Figueroa said she knows her story is not unique. That's one of the reasons she decided to share it.

"I hope other people can get help, too," she said.

wwashington@pbpost.com

For more information about the American Rescue Plan, click here.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Democrats remind Florida homeowners of $676M in housing assistance