Detroit is restarting a program that ended last year for homeowners facing foreclosure for unpaid property taxes.
That's after the state legislature renewed support for the program, called Pay as You Stay, or PAYS.
PAYS gives homeowners with delinquent property taxes three years to pay the balance, after forgiving the interest and fines.
Detroit Mayor Mary Sheffield said low-income Detroiters facing this situation need to know there is help.
"Our neighborhoods are the heart and soul of Detroit, but keeping our neighborhoods strong means keeping the people who have invested in them strong," Sheffield said at a press conference on Thursday.
Detroit offers access to the PAYS program to homeowners who apply and qualify for a second program, called Homeowners Property Exemption, or HOPE. The exemption from paying any property taxes is now available for up to two years.
City officials say since 2020, the PAYS and HOPE programs have kept nearly 18,000 Detroiters from losing homes to foreclosure.
Detroit has the highest poverty rate among major cities in the U.S.
Sheffield made helping low-income Detroiters a centerpiece of her campaign for mayor.
