Homebuying Assistance
Financial assistance to purchase homes in designated areas of Baltimore City.
Homebuying assistance through the Live Near Your Work program is available to eligible employees at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Health System, Bayview Medical Center and Johns Hopkins Community Physicians.
The Live Near Your Work (LNYW) program, in partnership with the city of Baltimore and state of Maryland, provides financial assistance to purchase homes in designated areas of Baltimore City.
If you’re considering buying a house in an eligible area of Baltimore City, you may be eligible to receive up to $14,500 from JHHS to use toward a down payment and closing costs.
And don’t forget: JHHS also offers discounted home insurance through Farmers GroupSelect.
Eligibility and program requirements
You’re eligible for the LNYW program if you regularly work 30+ hours per week at these hospitals or member organizations:
- The Johns Hopkins Hospital
- Johns Hopkins Health System
- Bayview Medical Center
- Johns Hopkins Community Physicians
- Johns Hopkins Health Care
To apply for an LNYW grant, you must meet all these requirements:
- Contribute at least $1,000 toward the purchase of a home in an eligible area of Baltimore City.
- The home must be your primary residence for at least three years.
- Finance the purchase with a mortgage loan (standard FHA, conventional and 203K loans encouraged). The loan amount can’t exceed $517,500.
- Present a valid certificate of completion for homeownership counseling.
Program exclusions
The LNYW program is not offered to:
- Employees who work fewer than 30 hours per week.
- Intrastaff, residents, postdoctoral fellows or students.
- Applied Physics Laboratory employees.
- Broadway Services employees (contact Broadway Services HR regarding its LNYW program).
- Pharmaquip employees.
- Johns Hopkins Home Care Group.
- Kennedy Krieger (contact Kennedy Krieger HR regarding its LNYW program).
Important update about LNYW funding
Baltimore City funding for Live Near Your Work is currently unavailable. You can still apply to receive a portion of the grant from Johns Hopkins. We’ll alert you once funding becomes available again. (optional content example)
Important update about LNYW funding
Funding for Live Near Your Work is currently unavailable for [entity]. We’ll alert you once funding becomes available again. (optional content example)
Boundaries and grant amounts
LNYW grants are offered only in designated neighborhoods in Baltimore City and vary by area.
View a map of eligible neighborhoods and visit Live Baltimore to learn more about each neighborhood.
See grant amounts by area in the table below.
| Area | Grant from JHHS | Grant from Baltimore City | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gross | Less taxes1 | |||
| Central Baltimore | $14,500 | $8,794 | $2,500 | $11,294 |
| East Baltimore/Eager Park | $14,500 | $8,794 | $2,500 | $11,294 |
| Remington | $2,500 | $1,516 | $2,500 | $4,016 |
| Better Waverly | $2,500 | $1,516 | $2,500 | $4,016 |
| All other eligible areas | $2,500 | $1,516 | $2,500 | $4,016 |
1 Grant amounts from JHHS will be less applicable withholding taxes. Net grant amounts may vary based on individualized tax calculations.
How to apply
If you meet all the program requirements, follow these steps to apply for a grant:
- Complete homeownership counseling: You must complete a class and a one-on-one appointment with an approved homeownership counseling agency before you make an offer on a home. The homeownership counseling certificate is good for one year.
- Make an offer on a home: Your offer must be accepted before you apply for a grant.
- Submit an application: If you’ve completed homeownership counseling and have an accepted offer on a home, apply for a LNYW grant online at least 30 days before your closing date.
Applications are typically processed within 30 days. Watch this video to hear an explanation of the program and how to apply.
Additional homebuying programs
Live Near Your Work is one of more than 30 homebuying incentive programs aimed at helping with the purchase of a home in Baltimore City. Visit Live Baltimore to learn about other programs, explore neighborhoods and get help with the homebuying process.
Important details and requirements
Offered by Johns Hopkins and the Baltimore City Office of Homeownership, Live Near Your Work grants come with certain requirements and limitations. To give your grant application the best chance of being accepted, be sure to understand important details of the program.
- LNYW grants are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Funding for LNYW grants may be discontinued at any time.
- LNYW grants are taxable benefits and will appear in a grantee’s paystub and form W-2.
- LNYW grants are provided at the discretion of JHU Benefits & WorkLife and the Baltimore City Office of Homeownership. Applying for a LNYW grant does not guarantee that a grant will be made.
- Applications are typically processed within 30 days. Please apply no later than 30 days prior to your projected settlement date.
Requirements
- As part of the LNYW grant application process, and prior to receiving a LNYW grant, you must complete homeownership counseling and present a certificate of completion that is dated prior to a contract of sale.
- Grants are available only for homes purchased within designated neighborhoods, and the amount of the grant varies based on the location of the home. The boundaries of a target area include houses on both sides of the boundary street.
- Reservation of grant funds, final approval, and disbursement of funds is contingent upon the timely receipt of the documents required by JHU Human Resources Office, Benefits & WorkLife and the Baltimore City Office of Homeownership.
- Applicants are required to contribute at least $1,000 towards the purchase of the home.
- A settlement date must occur no later than 60 days after a LNYW grant is made, and all grantees are required to provide Benefits & WorkLife proof of settlement. If an extension beyond 60 days is needed, please contact Benefits & WorkLife. In all other situations, if a grantee does not close on the home within 60 days, then Johns Hopkins reserves the right to treat the LNYW grant as an overpayment and will request repayment. All repayments will be for the gross amount of the grant (i.e. the grant amount before taxes are withheld). Only repayments made in the same calendar year as the original LNYW grant was paid to the employee may be made through pre-tax payroll deductions, consistent with applicable Johns Hopkins policies and procedures.
- There is no probationary period to apply for a LNYW grant. Provided that all eligibility criteria are met, LNYW grants are available to newly hired employees who have signed an offer letter from Johns Hopkins stating employment. Confirmation from the newly hired employee’s supervisor may be required. One must be an approved employee at the time of settlement in order to utilize LNYW funds.
- Grant money may be used only for down payment and closing costs at settlement for the purchase of an eligible home. Only one LNYW grant may be made per eligible address.
- LNYW home purchases must be the primary residence of the grantee, as defined by the state of Maryland, for a period of at least five years from the date of settlement.
Denials and repayment
Grantees will be required to repay all or a portion of grant monies received, according to the following schedule, if the home is sold and/or the home is not the primary residence of the recipient during the five-year period after the settlement date:
- 100% repayment if the home is not the primary residence during the first three years from the settlement date.
- 50% repayment if the home is not the primary residence during the period from three years and one day through four years from the settlement date.
- 25% repayment if the home is not the primary residence during the period from four years and one day through five years from the settlement date.
In addition to repayment, grantees may be subject to disciplinary action if the failure to abide by grant requirements was not for good cause. Please also review information below on repayments for additional details.
False statements or material omissions made by an employee on, or in connection with, an application for a LNYW grant can result in denial of the grant, repayment of any grant funds received by the employee, and disciplinary action up to and including termination.
Mortgage loans
No cash sales/purchases of eligible homes are allowed. You must finance the purchase of an eligible home with a mortgage loan to apply for the LNYW program. Standard FHA, conventional, and HUD 203K loans are encouraged.
The following loans are not acceptable:
- No-documentation loan
- Interest-only loan
- Adjustable-rate loan
- Any loans for which prepayment penalties or fees are applicable or assessed
- Loan amount of greater than $517,500
- Loans with co-signers (co-buyers who both live in the home are accepted)
The Baltimore City Office of Homeownership has final loan approval for LNYW grants.
Contacts
HR Support Center
General questions
443-997-5400
[email protected]