Want to minimize the time your application is spent in processing?
Follow these guidelines:
1. Read the eligibility requirements. First and foremost, this is an unemployment program. Your hardship
must have occurred January 2008 or later due to unemployment or underemployment through no fault of
your own. Other hardships, while unfortunate, do not qualify for assistance. Other eligibility
requirements apply. See “Eligibility Requirements” tab for details. The applicant must meet all eligibility
requirements.
2. Understand what HomeSafe Georgia only provides temporary assistance to qualified homeowners. If you
are interested in refinancing or modifying your mortgage loan, you must contact your lender.
3. Allow time to complete the application, usually under an hour if all documentation has been gathered. List
all homeowners, spouses/residing significant others on the application. List dependents. If a dependent is
18 or older: if a child, indicate if in school; if other than child, state relationship and if person working.
4. Your financial worksheet in the application should show current income earned or received by all
homeowners and spouses. If you have a second mortgage/HELOC, list it both on the application and in the
worksheet. Additional properties with mortgages are listed under other mortgage loans. Include an
explanation with the mortgage statement, address, and copy of lease or rent paid for each investment
property. If you previously lived in a property you still own, include timeframe.
5. Your hardship letter in the application must be clear and concise. At minimum, state if you are/were
unemployed or underemployed, the circumstances, and all dates (month/year), for all such hardships
occurring 2008 or later. If there is more than one homeowner/applicant, list the name of the person that
had the hardship. Do not include any comments regarding hardships that are not employment related as
they have no bearing on assistance and may cause eligible hardships to appear ineligible.
6. Once the application is completed on-line, the application must be downloaded, completed and signed by
all homeowners/applicants.
7. Make sure that you have included all applicable documents listed on the Submission Checklist or have
provided an explanation if the documentation required is unavailable.
8. Include documentation supporting your hardship.
For a person terminated, this would be the separation notice and the Dept. of Labor’s
Determination of Benefits.
For a contract employee, contract terms or notice of termination of contract
For a person with a 25% reduction in pay, this would be any notice provided by your employer, pay
stubs prior to the event, and pay stubs during the event.
For a self employed person, a YTD Profit and Loss Statement, 6 months of all bank accounts, and a
copy of any business license. You must demonstrate a significant loss of 30% of gross receipts.
9. Read your application and review your supporting documents as if it was new to you. Is your application
and hardship clear? Everything required or needed included?
10. The application package (application with supporting documents) must be mailed or faxed to our office.
Please use the transmittal letter as a cover page.
Free use of computers, faxes, and copiers is available at Dept. of Labor Career Centers.
The application package will be reviewed by a processor. If the applicant meets the first part of the
eligibility requirements, or if eligibility cannot be determined, additional items will be requested by
the processor. We do not request all required items up front, as it can be time consuming and is
unnecessary if the applicant is ineligible.
If you are sure of your eligibility, the items below can be sent in with the application package and will
reduce processing time considerably:
Bank statement explanations
The asset/bank statements must be the most current two months (six months for self employed) for all
accounts, and must have come from the bank. If you receive your statements on-line only, you need to
indicate that. Include all pages, even the last page that is for reconciliation. Take a moment to look at
each entry on the statement.
o If there are any names on any of the accounts that are not homeowners, provide an
explanation.
o If your accounts’ total balances exceed $5,000 due to a 401K distribution or a recent tax return,
provide documentation. If the balance exceeds $5,000 due to holding mortgage payments that
your lender will not take, put it in a statement.
o Explain all deposits that occur frequently/monthly OR that are over $500, if the reason is not
apparent on the statement.
o At least one of the statements must show your mortgage payment. If you have not recently
made a mortgage payment, include an older statement. If your mortgage is current and not on
the account, you must provide an explanation with documentation on how it is being paid.
o Review all incoming and outgoing transfers. If the transfer was to one of your accounts, make
sure that the last two months of that account has been included. If to an account not belonging
to you, provide a detailed explanation.
Unemployment: Department of Labor (DOL) Unemployment Benefits
o HomeSafe Georgia will review Georgia’s DOL. If you were contract labor, self employed, worked
for a company that reported to a different state, or worked for a non-profit company, the
information will be incomplete. Provide any documentation or explanation that will help us
understand your situation.
o If you were a W2 wage earner and did not file for unemployment benefits, explain why.
 Receiving DOL is one of the easiest ways to indicate eligibility for the first step.
New employment or loss of W2 wages
o HomeSafe Georgia may perform a Verification of employment. Make sure you include the full
name and address of the company and the telephone number to the owner, manager, or HR
department.
Mortgage history
o HomeSafe Georgia will pull a limited credit report. If your mortgage has always been current
and your hardship occurred within the last 20 months, the credit report can be used in lieu of
the history. If needed, you may be able to obtain your mortgage history on-line for the last 12
months or request mortgage history from your lender. A mortgage history expanding 3 months
prior to the hardship date to current must be provided if:
 Your lender has not reported to all credit bureaus or you filed bankruptcy in the last 7
years (payment history may be missing or incomplete on the credit report)
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The hardship occurred over 20 months ago
Mortgage payments were late around the time of the hardship
Trial modification or forbearance payments were allowed (include a copy of the
agreement)
A loan modification was performed within three years of the hardship date (include a
copy of the modification)
IRS Tax Transcripts
o A 4506T is signed as part of the application; however, it takes us weeks to get tax transcripts
back from the IRS. The taxpayer is able to get them within days if not within hours. (Tax
returns are not the same as tax transcripts.) If you are married and filed separately, both will
need to request the transcripts.
Instructions for you to obtain your tax transcripts directly from the IRS:
 Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 (hours 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Friday)
 Do not press or say anything. After a few minutes an IRS representative will come on the
line.
 Ask for a copy of your FULL tax transcripts for 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011. Can be faxed
directly to you if you have a fax available.
 You will be connected to the transcript department and they will verify your name and SSN.
If applying for Reinstatement Assistance (the hardship is over), the documentation presented should
be for both the time during hardship and current.
While this list is comprehensive, there is still the possibility the processor will need something not listed.
Thank you for taking the time to review. We look forward to receiving your application!