The Workforce Housing Initiative (WHI) provides up to $10,000 in funds to assist teachers, firefighters, police and other County and Board of Education employees in purchasing a home in Anne Arundel County. County funds are leveraged with the State of Maryland’s DSELP and House Keys 4 Employees Programs, which when combined with WHI funds, can provide up to $20,000 in closing cost and down payment assistance. You are required to utilize a State first mortgage, administered by the Maryland Community Development Administration (CDA), to access DSELP and House Keys 4 Employees funds.

WHI funds are provided as a loan; however, no payments are required and the funds are loaned at zero percent interest. WHI loans must be repaid when you sell your home, transfer the title, or in 30 years, whichever occurs first. Under certain circumstances, you may be required to repay the funds if you refinance your first mortgage. The dollar amount of the Workforce Housing Initiative loan will be determined by our staff, working in conjunction with your CDA approved lender.

• Am I eligible for Workforce Housing Initiative funds?
• How do I apply for Workforce Housing Initiative funds?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Sample Deed of Trust

Am I eligible for Workforce Housing Initiative funds?

To be eligible for this program, you must:

1. (1)  be at least 18 years of age and a first time homebuyer, which means you have not owned an interest in real property during the last three years,
2. (2)  be a graduate of the ACDS Homeownership Counseling Program,
3. (3)  be an Anne Arundel County or Anne Arundel Board of Education full time employee,* and
4. (4)  have a household income at or below the limits listed in the chart below.

How do I apply for Workforce Housing Initiative funds?

County and Board of Education employees who graduate from our Homeownership Counseling Program will be provided with a Workforce Housing Initiative application with their Homeownership Counseling Graduation Certificate. If you are a graduate of our Homeownership Counseling Program and need a Workforce Housing Initiative application call (410) 222-7600 or e-mail info@acdsinc.org to request an application, or download a copy here.

If you call during non business hours, please leave a message requesting a Workforce Housing Initiative Program application and leave your name, phone number and mailing address. An application will be mailed to you on the next business day. Please complete the application and mail it to:

Arundel Community Development Services, Inc.
2666 Riva Road, Suite 210
Annapolis , MD 21401

Upon receipt of your application, a Housing Financial Advisor will contact you.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Does the Workforce Housing Initiative provide funds in the form of a grant?
2. How do Workforce Housing Initiative funds work with the Maryland House Keys 4 Employees Program and other State programs?
3. How much money do I have to contribute?
4. Is there a limit to how much savings I can have and still be eligible for Workforce Housing Initiative funds?
5. Do I have to buy a home in a certain area?
6. Can I buy a “fixer-upper”?
7. Do I have to use an approved lender or Realtor?
8. What is the definition of a first time homebuyer?
9. Can I own other types of property and still qualify?

1. Does the Workforce Housing Initiative provide funds in the form of a grant?

No, the funds you receive to assist you in purchasing a home will be in the form of a deferred loan, which you will eventually have to repay. The loan will be at zero percent interest and will be for a term of 30 years. You will have to repay the loan when you sell the property, transfer the title, or after 30 years. In some circumstances, you may have to repay the loan if you refinance your first mortgage.

2. How do Workforce Housing Initiative funds work with the Maryland House Keys 4 Employees Program and other State programs?

Once you have completed the ACDS Homeownership Counseling Program, contact ACDS and staff will walk you through the process for applying for Workforce Housing Initiative funds. In order to qualify for up to $10,000 in County funds, you will be required to apply for State DSELP and House Keys 4 Employees funds from the Maryland Community Development Administration (CDA). In order to qualify for these programs, you must secure a CDA first mortgage loan from an approved CDA lender.

ACDS staff will work with you and your CDA approved lender to package your first mortgage loan, DSELP, House Keys 4 Employees and Workforce Housing Initiative assistance.

County Workforce Housing Initiative funds will serve as the required employer matching contribution for the State’s House Keys 4 Employees Program.

 3. How much money do I have to contribute?

You must contribute one percent (1%) of the sales price. The money you pay outside of closing for items such as the appraisal or home inspection (if required) can count towards your one percent contribution.

4. Is there a limit to how much savings I can have and still be eligible for Workforce Housing Initiative funds?

Yes, at the time of settlement, after you have contributed your one percent, you cannot have savings greater than three (3) months mortgage payments.

5. Do I have to buy a home in a certain area?

You can purchase a home anywhere in Anne Arundel County, including the City of Annapolis.

6. Can I buy a “fixer-upper”?

The home you purchase must pass a Housing Quality Standards (HQS) inspection, which means it must not violate any health or safety codes. Most likely, a home that needs significant rehabilitation work will not pass the HQS inspection.

7. Do I have to use an approved lender or Realtor?

You are free to choose any Realtor with whom you wish to work. However, the program is designed to be used with the State’s DSELP and House Keys 4 Employees Program funds, administered by the Maryland Community Development Administration (CDA). These programs require that you secure a CDA first mortgage through a CDA approved lender. You should inform your lender and Realtor that you are participating in the Workforce Housing Initiative as soon as you start working with them so they may contact ACDS for more information.

8. What is the definition of a first time homebuyer?

A first time homebuyer is

1. (1)  someone who has not had an ownership interest in their principal residence* at any time in the three years preceding the date of their mortgage application; or
2. (2)  someone who is separated or divorced and has had an interest in marital property during the last three years, but can document they did not live in property during the last three years and no longer have title to the property.

* A mobile home occupied as a borrower’s principal residence will not disqualify the borrower unless the mobile home is/was permanently attached to real property owned by the borrower.

9. Can I own other types of property and still qualify?

At the time of loan closing, you may not have any ownership interest in certain types of property, including mobile homes, raw land, a building, any principal residence, a vacation home, a rental property, an inherited property, commercial property, any jointly held property, a cooperative, and any other real property.