The American Rescue Plan Act, in addition to its $1,400 stimulus checks, expanded child tax credit, money for cities and states, and other benefits, provided money for something called the Homeowner Assistance Fund.

The legislation made available $9.961 billion for states, territories, tribal entities, and other local governments, in order to “provide relief for our country’s most vulnerable homeowners.”

“The purpose of the Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) is to prevent mortgage delinquencies and defaults, foreclosures, loss of utilities or home energy services, and displacement of homeowners experiencing financial hardship after January 21, 2020,” the Treasury Department says on its website.

 “Funds from the HAF may be used for assistance with mortgage payments, homeowner’s insurance, utility payments, and other specified purposes. The law prioritizes funds for homeowners who have experienced the greatest hardships, leveraging local and national income indicators to maximize the impact.”

The HAF is distributed entirely by the states and other governments, and not by the federal government, with each state receiving at least $50 million. According to Tom’s Guide, in order to be eligible, Americans must own their own home, have a mortgage with a balance of less than $548,250, have suffered some type of personal hardship, such as job loss, in 2021, and can provide the necessary documentation.

Those seeking to access HAF funds are asked to contact the housing finance agency in their state, in order to find the correct department for applying for assistance.

There are also separate programs available for Emergency Rental Assistance.

There are indications that the American Rescue Plan really did make a difference when it came to helping people.

A study released this week by the University of Michigan found that the American Rescue Plan, along with the checks sent out in late 2020, significantly reduced “material hardship.”

The study, “Material Hardship and Mental Health Following the COVID-19 Relief Bill and American Rescue Plan Act,” found that food insufficiency declined by over 40 percent between December 2020 and April 2021, financial instability fell by 45 percent, and “reported adverse mental health symptoms” fell by 20 percent.

Low-income communities, the study said, were helped most of all.

“We believe the success of the federal government’s relief measures may be due to the speed, breadth, and flexibility of its broad-based approach, primarily relying on cash transfers,” the conclusions of the report said. “Our analyses thus far have yielded a fairly simple story: throughout the crisis, the level of hardship faced by U.S. households can be directly linked to the federal government’s response.”

However, it doesn’t appear that the government will be sending out an additional stimulus payment, at least from a dedicated spending package.

Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver. This article is being republished due to reader interest.

Image: Reuters.