COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) - There’s hope for Branch County’s hardest hit homeowners facing foreclosure thanks to the Step Forward Michigan program. Branch County Treasurer Ann Vrablic says it can mean up to $30,000 for those whose mortgages and or property taxes have gone delinquent because of an involuntary, qualifying hardship. Last year in the county, more than 11-hundred properties were prepared for foreclosure sales.

Eligibility for the Step Forward program will depend on such things as the cause of the applicant’s hardship, the ability to sustain the mortgage and tax payments once assistance is given and whether the home is the applicant’s principal residence. Those who qualify will be awarded a one-time, five-year, 0% loan. The loan will be forgiven at 20% per year as long as the property remains the homeowner’s principal residence.

Applications are currently available through the website: www.stepforwardmichigan.org or by calling 1-866-946-7432. The Branch County Treasurer’s office may be contacted for more information: 517-279-4321