CALIFORNIA — October 28, 2026. Homeowners whose primary residences were destroyed or made uninhabitable by eligible California disasters have only days left to apply for the CalAssist Mortgage Fund. The California Housing Finance Agency (CalHFA) states on its current program page that applications close Monday, November 2, 2026.
CalAssist can provide eligible homeowners with up to 12 months of mortgage payments, capped at $100,000. The assistance is a grant, not a loan: approved funds are paid directly to the mortgage servicer and do not have to be repaid. Applying is free.
Who should check eligibility now?
The state established CalAssist to help families whose homes were destroyed or severely damaged in qualifying California disasters, including the 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. Homeowners in Altadena affected by the Eaton Fire and other eligible disaster survivors should check the program’s official criteria instead of assuming assistance is limited to one ZIP code.
The program is intended for eligible homeowners with a mortgage on their primary residence. Qualification depends on the official rules for the disaster, ownership, property, financial circumstances and other program conditions. Having wildfire damage, by itself, does not guarantee approval or the maximum grant.
According to the governor’s May 12 program update, assistance may be available to qualifying homeowners whose loans are current, past due or in forbearance. The state increased the program from an earlier maximum of three months and $20,000 to up to a full year and $100,000. Some older state resource pages still display the original smaller figures; the current CalHFA program page and the expanded-program announcement should be used to check the latest rules.
Apply before November 2
- Open the official CalHFA CalAssist program page and read the current eligibility instructions.
- Follow the official link to the online CalAssist application portal.
- Prepare the information and documents requested by the program to confirm ownership, mortgage status, disaster impact and other eligibility requirements.
- Submit the application within the published deadline. Do not wait for a separate phone call from an unknown third party or pay a company to file for a program whose application is free.
The agency states that it is accepting applications through November 2. It has not guaranteed in the published summary that late applications will be reviewed, so applicants should not plan around an extension that has not been announced.
Grant assistance is different from mortgage forbearance
CalAssist pays approved mortgage assistance directly to servicers and the grant does not have to be repaid. Mortgage forbearance generally pauses or reduces payments under a lender agreement, but may still require repayment later under the applicable terms. California has also adopted separate protections for some disaster survivors; receiving or seeking those protections is not the same as automatically receiving CalAssist funding.
Official contact and sources
CalHFA directs applicants to the CalAssist website. The state’s published program contact center is 1-800-501-0019, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Ask the program about your own eligibility and documentation rather than disclosing private mortgage details to an unsolicited caller.
Sources: California Housing Finance Agency — CalAssist Mortgage Fund, current November 2 closing date; State of California, May 12, 2026 expanded-program announcement. California58 will update this article if the agency formally changes the application deadline or funding rules.
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