City of Milpitas
Rent & Mortgage Relief Program
Applications for both Rent & Mortgage relief are now available.
Program Overview
The City of Milpitas has partnered with FORWARD to administer $864,500 in relief funds to the community.
This opportunity will provide up to $5,000 in rent relief, or up to $15,000 in mortgage relief to eligible households in the city of Milpitas. This program was funded by the American Rescue Plan of 2021. (Please see the eligibility requirements listed below)
Grant Amount: up to $5,000, or up to $15,000
General Timeline
- Applications for the Rent Relief Program are open now, and remain available until funds have been exhausted.
- Applications for the Mortgage Relief Program are open now, and remain available until the funds are exhausted.
NEED SUPPORT?
If you need help with this online application, please email us at milpitas-support@livestories.zendesk.com, or call us at 1-855-582-3973.
Rent Relief Program Eligibility Requirement
- Have been a resident of Milpitas for at least six (6) months.
- Individuals who have experienced economic hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic since January 21, 2020.
- Must be located within the city limits of Milpitas, California (address cannot be a PO Box or an address that leads to a shipping center as their physical location). Verified using this link.
- Is at or below 120% area median income (AMI), calculated using HUD’s 2023 Income Limits Documentation System.
- The 120% AMI threshold is relative to the COUNTY of residence of the applicant.
Santa Clara County Household Size 120% AMI 1 $141,550 2 $161,750 3 $182,000 4 $202,200 5 $218,400 6 $234,550 7 $250,070 8 $266,900
- The 120% AMI threshold is relative to the COUNTY of residence of the applicant.
*All other residents experiencing a high cost of living not captured under eligible recipients are encouraged to contact a resource partner listed on the City of Milpitas’ website.
Rent Relief Program Required Documents
The following documents will be used to verify the above eligibility:
Accepted forms of ID include:
- Current Driver’s License with photograph (from the U.S. or any of its territories);
- Non-Driver’s Identification Card with photograph (from the U.S. or any of its territories);
- Passport;
- Identification from County of Origin with photograph (non-U.S.);
- U.S. Permanent Resident Card;
- U.S. Certificate of Naturalization (good for 10 years after date of issue);
- Learner Permit with photograph (from the U.S. or any of its territories);
- Work Identification with photographs.
Acceptable documents include:
- Pay stubs showing all income for the most recent 60 days;
- Unemployment award letter;
- W-2;
- 2021, 2022, or 2023 completed taxes
- Bank statement (reflecting salary or reduction in salary);
- Letter from employer (reflecting income level, decrease in income level or layoff);
- Form 1040 as filed with IRS.
- Current lease (required);
- Utility bill showing address (optional);
- Notice of past due rent (optional);
- Eviction Notice (optional).
You can store documents in your profile so that you can easily find them to include in your applications. These file formats are supported: .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .xls, and .xlsx
Mortgage Relief Program Eligibility Requirements
Eligibility requirements for the Mortgage Relief Program:
Homeowners must have experienced financial hardship due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hardship must have occurred after January 21, 2020.
Homeowner must currently own and occupy the property in Milpitas as their primary residence. Ownership may be in non-incorporated, Living Trusts, provided the homeowner occupies the home as the primary/principal residence.
Homeowner may only own and occupy one property.
Receiving other forms of governmental or private assistance, including but not limited to, COVID-19 assistance from the CARES Act, Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, or the California Mortgage Relief Program, does not disqualify a household, unless funding is being sought for the same period.
Is at or below 150% AMI
- The 150% AMI threshold is relative to the COUNTY of residence of the applicant.
- AMI will be calculated via HCDs 2022 Income Limits Documentation System, found here: HCD Information
| Santa Clara County | |
|---|---|
| Household Size | 150% AMI |
| 1 | $176,950 |
| 2 | $202,200 |
| 3 | $227,500 |
| 4 | $252,750 |
| 5 | $273,000 |
| 6 | $293,200 |
| 7 | $313,450 |
| 8 | $333,650 |
Homeowner must be at least two-payments past-due by June 20, 2022.
Homeowner must be at least one payment past due by May 31, 2022.
- Applicants must live in either:
- Single family home
- Condominium
- 2-unit owner occupied
- 3-unit owner occupied
- 4-unit owner occupied
- Manufactured home, permanently attached
- Manufactured home, not permanently attached (moveable)
Homeowners cannot have cash or assets on hand (excluding savings in a retirement account) that is equal to or greater than the relief funds needed+ $20,000.
Mortgage Relief Program Required Documentation
List of Mortgage Relief Documentation:
Accepted forms of ID include:
- Current Driver’s License with photograph (from the U.S. or any of its territories);
- Non-Driver’s Identification Card with photograph (from the U.S. or any of its territories);
- Passport;
- Identification from County of Origin with photograph (non-U.S.);
- U.S. Permanent Resident Card;
- U.S. Certificate of Naturalization (good for 10 years after date of issue);
- Learner Permit with photograph (from the U.S. or any of its territories);
- Work Identification with photographs.
Acceptable documents include:
- Bank statements, all pages front and back, even if they are blank
- Pay stubs showing all income for the most recent 60 days;
- Unemployment award letter;
- W-2;
- 2021, 2022, or 2023 completed taxes
- Bank statement (reflecting salary or reduction in salary);
- Letter from employer (reflecting income level, decrease in income level or layoff);
- Form 1040 as filed with IRS.
Acceptable documents include:
- Mortgage statement, most recent from the lender
- Utility bill showing address
- HOA bills
You can store documents in your profile so that you can easily find them to include in your applications. These file formats are supported: .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .xls, and .xlsx
Frequently Asked Questions
FORWARD has extensive experience administering rental assistance programs across the nation and can process applications at scale, prevent fraud, securely process payments, and provide reporting that meets Treasury requirements.
There is a maximum of $5,000 in rent relief and $15,000 in mortgage relief per calendar year.
A household includes all the persons who occupy a housing unit as their usual place of residence. A housing unit is a house, an apartment, a mobile home, a group of rooms, or a single room that is occupied as separate living quarters. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other persons in the building and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall. The occupants may be a single family, one person living alone, two or more families living together, or any other group of related or unrelated persons who share living arrangements. Roommates may apply separately. Rent relief must not exceed the rent limit for the total unit size.
Yes, you are still eligible for the Rent Relief Program.
After submitting your application, it will move through the following five steps:
1. Application Review
2. Tenant Outreach – someone will contact you if more information is needed.
3. Eligibility Determination – your application moves to the next step if you meet the eligibility criteria. If not, you will receive a written denial which you can appeal.
4. Landlord Outreach
5. Payment Processing
If you would like to check on the status of your application, please log into your FORWARD account and click the “My Applications” tab to see your status.
Yes. You will receive an email confirmation from forward-notification@forwardplatform.com once your application is received. Check your spam/junk folder if you do not receive an email shortly after submitting your application.
No. However, if you need to correct an error, please get in touch with milpitas-support@livestories.zendesk.com, and our team can work with you to provide additional and correct information to your application.
The FORWARD Technical Support will be provided by phone and/or email to any applicants with questions related to the FORWARD platform. For technical support, call (855) 582-3973 or email milpitasrental-support@livestories.zendesk.com. The hours for the support line are as follows: 6:00 AM – 6:00 PM Monday-Friday PST.
We highly recommend that you contact a HUD Certified Housing Counselor, Project Sentinel, before you apply for any mortgage related programs. Counseling is available to homeowners, free of charge, who are in default or concerned about their ability to maintain their mortgage payment. Through education, awareness, and proactive homeowner involvement, homeowners will be able to stabilize household finances and mortgage payments. You can contact them via email or call them at (408) 470-3730.
We will need supporting documentation for every adult, aged 18 and over, who is listed on the mortgage statement. We will not be able to proceed with the funding unless we can verify the eligibility of everyone listed on the mortgage statement.
FORWARD Online Application Tutorials
FORWARD Online Application Tutorials
FORWARD is administering the Rent & Mortgage Relief Program on behalf of the City of Milpitas.
ABOUT FORWARD
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