photo by: Mike Yoder/Journal-World File Photo

Houses in a neighborhood just west of downtown Lawrence are shown in this file photo from November 2011.

Another statewide housing assistance program fueled by COVID-19 pandemic relief funds is nearing an end, the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation announced Tuesday.

The corporation’s Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund has entered a “hold” phase, the second of three closure phases. The federally funded temporary emergency program was established with American Rescue Plan Act funds to support homeowners experiencing hardship during the pandemic, largely by helping them get current on mortgage payments and avoid foreclosure.

Since the program launched in April 2022, KHAF has provided more than $42 million to nearly 3,800 households throughout the state. In Douglas County, 149 applications had been approved as of Feb. 15, for a total of $1,774,281, and 10 applications from the county were still pending as of last week.

Now, the program has received enough applications since Jan. 30 to exhaust all of its current funds, pending review and processing. New applications can still be submitted during the hold phase, but they won’t be reviewed or processed unless sufficient program funds are available.

The process will be similar to another Kansas Housing Resources Corporation program funded by ARPA dollars, the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance program, which officially closed at the beginning of the month.

Applicants can reach out to KHAF customer service at 855-307-5423 with questions, or they can review the KHAF closure FAQ page on the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation website. The corporation will continue to serve Kansans through its ongoing housing programs after the KHAF program closes.