Organizations That Can Help to Pay My Housing Bills

• There is help for homeowners when bills stack up. Walker and Walker/Digital Vision/Getty Images

  In times of extreme financial crisis, homeowners face the possibility of not being able to afford monthly mortgage payments and potentially losing their homes to foreclosure. For homeowners that qualify, there are several grant and temporary assistance programs offering emergency funds and solutions ranging from temporary to long-term. The programs work toward keeping homeowners in their homes and can provide monetary assistance for other monthly household expenses.

Alliance for Stablizing our Communities

• The Alliance for Stabilizing our Communities is a grant fund that began in 2008 with funding from Bank of America, which remains the largest contributor in 2010. The fund targets multicultural homeowners negatively impacted by the foreclosure-housing crisis that began in mid-2007. While the alliance has a larger presence in areas hit hardest by the highest foreclosure rates, assistance is offered nationwide.

  The object of the fund is not only to provide at-risk homeowners with temporary assistance, but also to educate and provide long-term financial clarity concerning home loans and proper budgeting. The objective is to help homeowners in the short term to keep homes, as well as helping educate low-income families about the benefits of saving and budgeting.

  Homeowners wishing to obtain assistance will be required to gather current financial documentation proving income, put a household budget together and provide mortgage documentation in order to meet with a counselor to discuss options.

Hope for Homeowners

• The Hope for Homeowners program is a consumer advocacy program working on a non-profit basis to help homeowners obtain loan modifications and forbearance agreements from lenders. The association's counselors will work with lenders on behalf of the borrower to arrive at a mutually beneficial agreement.

  In addition to the services provided at no charge to consumers in relation to mortgage payments, the Hope for Homeowners advocacy program provides financially strapped borrowers with resources to assist in lowering electricity bills, grocery bills and even prescription medication bills.

  As with most consumer advocacy programs, this program requires that a borrower provide financial documentation and explanation for any hardships before offering assistance.

The Military Homeowners Assistance Program

• The Military Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) is primarily dedicated to foreclosure assistance and is only available to active duty or retired military service men and women or their spouses. The HAP program provides temporary counseling and negotiation with lenders on behalf of the service member and short-term loans to assist with mortgage defaults or monthly expenses.

  The community outreach program for active duty and retired military can--at its discretion--provide service members with loans of up to $5,000 for financial emergencies. The loan carries no interest, and is repaid over time with small deductions from the service member's active duty leave and earnings statement (LES) or from retirement or disability pay issued by the government.