The phrase "mortgage relief" carries more weight than CalAssist was built to bear. The program pays your mortgage servicer directly for up to 12 months, capped at $100,000. These are grants you never repay. Your home must be a primary residence destroyed or deemed uninhabitable by a qualified California disaster between January 2023 and January 2025.
The money never touches you. It goes to your lender, covering principal, interest, taxes, and insurance, but only what runs through escrow. If you pay your property taxes separately, those aren't covered. If your servicer isn't federally chartered or won't participate, your application gets canceled.
The program's term sheet is silent on month 13. When payments end, your full mortgage obligation resumes whether or not your home exists again. The earliest recipients hit that edge this summer, while the governor's own statements acknowledge rebuilding remains widely incomplete. For families trying to plan around CalAssist, the boundaries of the program matter at least as much as the benefit itself.
Eligible if:
- Primary residence destroyed or uninhabitable
- Disaster occurred Jan 1, 2023 – Jan 8, 2025
- Income under 200% AMI (LA County: $285,400)
- Mortgage within 2025 conforming loan limits
- Owned by a natural person, not an LLC or LP
Not covered:
- Rebuilding, construction, or temporary housing
- Second homes or investment properties
- Taxes/insurance paid outside escrow
- Mortgages held by private lenders
- Late fees or NSF charges
By the numbers: $105M total funding pool. As of May 2026, 1,155 households had received $39.4M. Grants awarded first-come, first-served until funds run out.
Tax note: Grants generate a 1099-G.