Community Housing Development Corporation (CHDC) is proud to be part of the NeighborhoodLIFT program in collaboration with Wells Fargo and NeighborWorks America. Discover the possibilities of homeownership and find out if it’s right for you!

Not ready to buy a home or unsure if you’re ready? The NeighborhoodLIFT Homeownership Counseling Initiative offers credit and homebuying counseling to individuals at no cost. This counseling is an added benefit and does not count toward the eight hours of homebuyer education required to received LIFT down-payment assistance.

San Francisco Bay Area NeighborhoodLIFT
Down Payment Assistance will be available beginning February 1, 2021
9:00 a.m.

You can visit this website to verify your eligibility and submit a request for down payment assistance funds beginning February 1, 2021. The intake period will remain open until 11:59 pm Sunday, February 7, 2021. Interested borrowers can submit the required information at any time during the seven-day window.

If the number of requests for down payment funds exceeds the amount of funds available, random selection will be utilized to select a limited number of borrowers to move forward with the program. Borrowers will be notified by email if they are selected or not selected to move forward with the NeighborhoodLIFT program.

Those who are selected and deemed eligible will be issued a reservation for funds for 90 days. Borrowers who are not selected will be notified of the date funds will be available in the future if/when they become available.

Get ready for the NeighborhoodLIFT Program by completing these steps prior to February 1

• Complete eight hours of homebuyer education from an agency that is approved for the NeighborhoodLIFT program. Click Here for homebuyer education provider list.

• Get a mortgage pre-approval from an approved NeighborhoodLIFT lender. Click Here for lenders list.

• Meet the income requirements for the program. Click Here to view income limits.

NeighborhoodLIFT Program Information

• Provide homebuyer education to prepare potential borrowers for homeownership

• Provides eligible borrowers with $25,000 in down payment assistance on eligible properties

• Assistance is not limited to first-time borrowers

• Borrower(s)’s annual income must be at or below income limits for the program. Click Here to view income limits.

• Properties qualified for the program must be:

1. Located in Alameda, Contra Costa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara or Solano County. Click Here for property lookup instructions.

2. The primary, owner-occupied home of the borrowers

3. A single-family home (attached or detached), 2- 4-unit home, condominium, townhome, PUD, co-op, land trust or qualified manufactured home

NOTE: No closings may take place before Thursday, March 11, 2021. Not all closings may be scheduled for this day. Please coordinate with CHDC, your first mortgage lender and realtor as closing dates may need to be adjusted due to demand and capacity.

Visit this site beginning February 1, 2021, to complete the following steps and take an eligibility questionnaire to see if you meet the requirements to request down payment assistance funds, and then submit your request for funds.

If the number of requests exceeds the amount of funds available, random selection will be used and a limited number of individuals will be notified by the end of the day on February 8 with their next steps to move forward in the program. Those who are deemed eligible will be issued a reservation for funds for 90 days.

Be sure to check the spam or junk mail folder in your email, as all communication will be from CHDC via email.

If you ARE NOT selected to move forward in obtaining funds:

If you are not selected, you will be notified by the end of the day on February 8 via email. Please return to this website on March 22, 2021 to see if funds have become available. Any available funds will be available each Monday morning at 9:00 am Pacific time beginning March 22, 2021.

Also, feel free to reach out to schedule a counseling appointment to see what homeownership options are available to you.

If you ARE selected to move forward in obtaining funds:

You will receive an email message outlining the steps you will be required to take to complete the program eligibility questionnaire, upload your income documentation, complete an application and provide your e-signature on certain disclosures for the program. You will have 48 hours to complete the required next steps after being selected.

Once you have been selected, you will need to upload the following documents to your account with CHDC:

• Certificate(s) of completion for homebuyer education. Click Here for homebuyer education provider list.

• First mortgage pre-approval letter from a NeighborhoodLIFT approved lender

• Income documentation

To avoid delays or file close-out please remember to upload documents that are clean and clear, preferably in pdf format. Two apps that you can use to help you with this are CamScanner and Genius Scan.

Once CHDC has verified your eligibility for the program, you will receive a Reservation Letter stating that funds will be reserved in your name for 90 days. You will have 90 days to shop for a home and execute a purchase-and-sale agreement (contract) on that home.

We will process files as they are received, and processing may take up to 10 business days. Missing information or documentation will cause a delay in processing, so please be sure to provide all requested information.

Contact CHDC for questions about NeighborhoodLIFT at lift@CommunityHDC.org.

If you have additional questions, visit our FAQ page (Click Here).