Texas Mortgage Assistance and Foreclosure Help — Programs, Counseling, and Legal Aid.
If you're behind on your Texas mortgage, the most important thing to know is that help exists — but time matters. This page covers what is available to help delay or stop a foreclosure. Texas foreclosures move fast, often completing in 60 to 90 days from the first formal notice, and sales only happen on the first Tuesday of each month. Missing the window before that sale date can mean losing your home with no way to get it back.
The good news is that reaching out early dramatically increases your options. A free housing counselor can contact your lender on your behalf, help you apply for a payment plan or loan modification, and connect you to any financial help available in your area. Legal aid organizations across the state can step in if the situation has escalated. And 211 Texas can point you to local emergency assistance funds you may not know about. Programs and eligibility change — verify current status before applying.
Scam Warning: Texas experiences high rates of foreclosure-related scams. Common schemes involve companies contacting distressed homeowners and charging upfront fees to negotiate with the lender, or asking you to sign over your deed with a promise to lease the home back. No legitimate HUD-certified counselor or legal aid organization charges upfront fees. Report suspected scams to the Texas Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at (800) 621-0508 or https://texasattorneygeneral.gov./.
Start Here: Free Housing Counseling
A HUD-certified housing counselor works for you, not the lender. Many offer both in-person or phone consultations. They can review your loan documents and finances, explain every option your mortgage servicer must consider and are options, prepare a loss mitigation application on your behalf, and refer you to legal aid organizations in Texas if your situation has escalated. This service is free.
State Programs and Resources
TDHCA — Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. The state housing agency coordinates foreclosure prevention outreach and connects homeowners with local counseling resources. Their foreclosure prevention page provides guidance on contacting your servicer and finding help. Website: https://www.tdhca.texas.gov/foreclosure-prevention-preserving-dream-homeownership. Phone: (512) 475-3800.
TSAHC — Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation. While primarily focused on homebuyer programs (down payment assistance and Mortgage Credit Certificates), TSAHC maintains the Texas Financial Toolbox and funds a network of housing counselors across the state. It is a good starting point for homeowners in any region to find locally active counseling organizations. Website: https://www.tsahc.org/.
Community action agencies. Texas has community action agencies in every region that may have access to local emergency mortgage assistance, utility help, and financial stabilization funds through the Community Services Block Grant. These agencies are often the fastest route to emergency assistance and can connect you with multiple programs at once. Find your local agency through 211 Texas (dial 2-1-1 or 211texas.org) or look at our Texas Community Action agency program guide.
Your loan servicer's loss mitigation department. Before any formal foreclosure action can begin, federal rules require your servicer to contact you about loss mitigation options and assign a dedicated person to your account. Options may include forbearance, a repayment plan, a loan deferral, a loan modification, a short sale, or a deed in lieu. If your loan is FHA, VA, USDA, Fannie Mae, or Freddie Mac-backed, each has specific programs your servicer must consider. A HUD counselor can identify what applies and help you apply.
Regional Legal Aid
For a state as large as Texas, knowing which legal aid organization covers your area matters. Three major nonprofit law firms cover the entire state, and all handle housing and foreclosure cases for income-eligible Texans at no cost. Given the speed of Texas foreclosures, contacting legal aid early — not just as a last resort — is worth it.
Lone Star Legal Aid — Houston, East Texas, and Gulf Coast (72 counties)
Dedicated Foreclosure Prevention Project with a full team of attorneys. Handles mortgage default, clouded titles, HOA and property tax foreclosure threats, and servicer errors. Active through 2025 with recent cases including stopping sales days before they occurred. Phone: (713) 652-0077. Apply online: https://www.lonestarlegal.org/.
Legal Aid of Northwest Texas — Dallas-Fort Worth and all of Northwest Texas
Civil legal services including foreclosure defense, landlord-tenant disputes, and housing issues. Phone: (888) 529-5277. Website: https://legalaidtx.org/.
Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (TRLA) — Austin, San Antonio, El Paso, South Texas, and the US-Mexico border region (68 counties)
Housing group handles mortgage foreclosure, property tax foreclosure, manufactured home issues, and colonia community housing rights. Also handles farmworker housing. Phone: (833) 329-8752. Website: https://www.trla.org/.
Texas Legal Services Center (TLSC) — Statewide
Provides legal help and referrals statewide, including foreclosure-related issues. Website: https://www.tlsc.org/
Texas Law Help
Free online legal information for Texans, including a foreclosure fact sheet, tools for writing to your mortgage servicer, and articles on all stages of the foreclosure process. Website: https://texaslawhelp.org/.
Texas State Law Library Foreclosure Guide
Plain-language overview of Texas foreclosure law from official state sources. Website: https://guides.sll.texas.gov/foreclosure.
City and Regional Programs
Texas's largest cities often have housing programs through their local housing authorities or community development departments that are not statewide. These change frequently and are best found through 211 Texas or by contacting your city's housing department directly. Some confirmed active resources by region:
Houston / Harris County: Lone Star Legal Aid's Foreclosure Prevention Project (above) is the primary active legal resource. Houston Area Urban League (website: https://hauladvocacy.org/ ) and BakerRipley (website: https://bakerripley.org/) both serve as housing counseling and community resource hubs for low-income Houston residents.
Dallas-Fort Worth: Legal Aid of Northwest Texas (above). Also: NeighborWorks of Waco (for Central TX homeowners on the DFW/Central boundary) and local HUD-certified agencies through the 211 Dallas network (dial 2-1-1).
San Antonio / South Texas: Texas RioGrande Legal Aid (above). Catholic Charities Archdiocese of San Antonio (website: https://ccaosa.org/) provides housing counseling and emergency assistance. CPS Energy's assistance programs and the Bexar County Community Resources department can also point to local mortgage help.
Austin / Central Texas: TRLA (above). Also: Caritas of Austin (website: https://caritasofaustin.org/) provides financial stability services. The City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development office has homeowner programs — housing.austintexas.gov.
El Paso: TRLA covers El Paso. Opportunity Center for the Homeless and local community action agencies provide emergency financial assistance.
Rural Texas: TDHCA's Bootstrap Loan Program provides owner-built and self-help housing construction assistance in rural areas. Also: USDA Rural Development single-family housing repair loans — for homeowners in rural counties facing dangerous housing conditions. Website: https://www.rd.usda.gov/.
Programs and eligibility change. Verify current availability before applying. This page does not constitute legal advice. Texas foreclosure sales happen on the first Tuesday of each month — if you are behind or have received any lender notice, contact a counselor or legal aid organization as soon as possible.
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