Johns Hopkins is expanding a program that has helped more than 1,100 employees put down roots in vibrant Baltimore neighborhoods. Eligible employees of the university and health system can now use $5,000 Live Near Your Work grants to purchase homes in Belair-Edison, Coldstream-Homestead-Montebello (CHUM), Darley Park, East Baltimore- Midway, Johnston Square, Mayfield and South Clifton Park.
These neighborhoods are in addition to the many Live Near Your Work communities surrounding Homewood and Peabody, and throughout East Baltimore. Employees and city leaders encouraged the expansion into these areas, which are in ZIP codes that have proved popular to Live Near Your Work buyers and include a number of employees who currently rent a home and may want to buy one in their neighborhood.
“Live Near Your Work has been an important partnership between anchor institutions such as ours and the city for many years, delivering on our commitment to help people invest in their futures and in the city they live in and love,” says Johns Hopkins University President Ronald J. Daniels. “We are thrilled to extend the impact of this program and to support even more of our neighbors in realizing their dreams of home ownership.”
Neighbors such as native Baltimoreans Clarissa and Troy Cozart, both employees of The Johns Hopkins Hospital, have used the Live Near Your Work program to purchase a home in their community.
The Cozarts were renting in nearby Oliver and, through the Live Near Your Work program, were able to buy a home just four blocks away. For them, not only is their new home an investment in a neighborhood they love where they can walk to work, it’s also an investment in their three children.
“Oliver is our home,” Clarissa Cozart says. “Troy and I always dreamt of staying in Oliver, buying a home, and raising our family in this community, and Live Near Your Work helped to make that possible.”
Paul B. Rothman, dean of the medical faculty and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine, says, “Johns Hopkins is deeply committed to the city of Baltimore, and this step only underscores that partnership.
These additional neighborhoods are great places to live, and we want to give our employees more great incentives to live there.”
Since the program began in fiscal year 2009, Johns Hopkins has awarded more than $8.2 million in Live Near Your Work grants, and participants have also received matching funds from the Baltimore City Office of Homeownership. The grants are used to defray down payment and settlement costs, which are often barriers to homeownership, especially for first-time homebuyers. Close to 90% of Johns Hopkins program participants were buying for the first time, and 80% of program participants were already living in Baltimore.
Kevin W. Sowers, president of the Johns Hopkins Health System and executive vice president of Johns Hopkins Medicine, says that homeownership allows individuals who work in Baltimore to strengthen ties to the local community. “Program expansion further supports individuals and families in making commitments to live and work in Baltimore for the long term,” he says.
The Live Near Your Work website details the specific boundaries and outlines existing areas where grants are increased to $10,000 and $17,000, depending on the location and which Johns Hopkins entity is the employer. The website also explains the eligibility requirements, which include an application, homeownership counseling and a commitment to make the home a primary residence for five years.
For questions about the program, contact the Benefits Service Center at [email protected] or 410-516-2000.