Please review all of the important details about Live Near Your Work grants. Each one can impact your ability to receive a grant.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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. 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.

• 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.
• 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.
• No cash sales/purchases of eligible homes are allowed. You must finance the purchase of an eligible home with a mortgage loan in order 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)

Please note: The Baltimore City Office of Homeownership has final loan approval for LNYW grants.