Expanded Mortgage Assistance Program

County Executive Steuart Pittman and Anne Arundel Community Development Services (ACDS) CEO Erin Karpewicz announced changes to the county’s mortgage assistance program (MAP) would include increasing the area median income (AMI) requirement to 100% — making almost half of the county workforce eligible for up to $50,000 in mortgage assistance.

“Our residents and businesses are feeling the impacts of the housing crisis,” Pittman said. “Creating programs like this and funding them through our housing trust fund is how we are providing solutions for our essential workers — our teachers, our bus drivers, our health care workers — and the businesses that employ them.”

Under the previous program requirements, eligible individuals earning up to 80% of the Baltimore AMI or $62,600, and eligible three-person households earning $71,550 or less, could qualify for up to $40,000 in assistance. With the changes, individuals making $78,250 or less, or three-person households earning $100,625 or less, can now utilize an additional $10,000 for mortgage down payment or closing costs.

AMI requirements for the program were calculated based on 2022 HOME Income Limits for the Baltimore area as published by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and were adjusted for household size. Less than half of all households in Anne Arundel County have incomes below 100% AMI for the Baltimore region.

“We were proud to host this event in District 1 where there is a need for programs that will provide more home ownership opportunities to our residents,” said Anne Arundel County Council chairman and emcee for the event Pete Smith.

The expanded program was made possible by funds allocated during the Fiscal Year 2023 budget process to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, and will be administered by ACDS.

“We appreciate the county’s investment in this program,” said Erin Karpewicz, ACDS CEO. “Owning a home is a great way to build wealth, but many working families struggle to save for a downpayment. Our team will continue to provide homeownership assistance opportunities that help overcome that hurdle and commit to marketing them in historically underserved communities.”

The changes were announced during a housing resource fair that took place at Van Bokkelen Elementary School in celebration of Fair Housing Month. The event was hosted by ACDS, the Community Action Agency of Anne Arundel County, and the County Executive’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

“Fair housing is about choices and providing resources like this — and marketing them to historically marginalized communities — will help us expand choice,” said Asha Smith, Anne Arundel County’s human relations and equal opportunity officer.

The event was attended by a mix of prospective homebuyers, real estate agents and lenders. It included home-buying seminars and information on additional first-time home buyer resources like the State of Maryland mortgage products. Attendees also received information on free first-time homebuyer counseling through ACDS and the Community Action Agency.

For more information on the Mortgage Assistance Program and how to apply, visit www.acdsinc.org.