HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — With more than $200,000 in housing relief assistance still available, and a Sept. 30 application deadline looming, Peggy Araullo Llagas, CEO and Government Affairs director of the Guam Association of Realtors, is encouraging residents to take advantage of the funding opportunity.
“This is not an answer to all, but definitely is an assistance that will be helpful to many,” Llagas said Tuesday after speaking to members of the Rotary Club of Tumon Bay about the program.
About $500,000 in housing relief assistance was initially granted to the Guam Realtors Housing Relief Assistance Program by the Realtors Relief Foundation, an arm of the National Association of Realtors, according to Llagas.
Sept. 30 is the last day to apply for the program. The total number of disbursements will be determined after the final applications are processed, but whatever balance is left behind in relief funds will have to be returned to the Realtors Relief Foundation, Llagas said.
Information on the program, including application documents, requirements and where and how to apply, can be found at the Guam Association of Realtors website, www.guamrealtors.com.
To be eligible, recipients must be a full-time resident and U.S. citizen or legally admitted for residence in the United States.
There are two upcoming in-person application events at the Micronesia Mall, Sept. 16 and Sept. 20, both running from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Applications can also be sent via email at relief@guamrealtors.com.
“The beauty of this program is the fact that we are not looking at your income, we are not looking at your job, we are not looking at the number of your household and we’re not even looking at the fact that you have applied for (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) for your roof, your doors, you can apply (for) exactly the same thing with the Realtor Relief Foundation,” Llagas said Tuesday during a meeting of the Rotary Club of Tumon Bay.
Assistance is available for monthly mortgage expenses for primary residences damaged by Typhoon Mawar, rental expense due to displacement because of Mawar, and hotel reimbursement due to displacement because of Mawar.
Grant funds do not cover loss of income, business, and other expenses, including second mortgages (home equity lines or loans), clothing, food, appliances, equipment, vehicle purchase, rental or repair and or mileage are ineligible for reimbursement under the program.
The maximum relief amount is $1,250 per household. According to Llagas, the assistance program is intended to help households with monthly obligations, but she added that households without mortgages can still get up to $625.
“This is really for housing support that has a monthly obligation, but because we do recognize and appreciate the homeowner who has already fulfilled their obligation and has paid out their debt, the National Association of Realtors had agreed to give them $625 as well,” Llagas said Tuesday.
According to Llagas, about 400 applications have been submitted so far and less than ten have been denied.
“Because we want to help you. We want to make sure it works for you. And that’s the beauty of being in-person, but even if it’s online, we will still be as thorough. Because those in-person applications from the processing team get all reviewed when the review team comes together. So nothing gets lost in the process,” Llagas said.
Peggy Araullo Llagas, Guam Association of Realtors CEO, speaks before the Rotary Club of Tumon Bay Tuesday Sept. 12, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon.
