Leading Practices

Leading Practices

• The Live Near Your Work program partners with first-time home buyers by matching $2,500 from the employer with $2,500 from the city of Baltimore (for a combined total of $5,000 in employee assistance) to be applied to down payments and closing costs. Currently more than 100 employers are enrolled in the program.

• The Metropolitan Planning Council partners with Chicago employers to provide employees homeownership counseling and/or financial assistance. The Chicago Neighborhood Housing Services produced this guidebook for employers interested in setting up an employer-assisted housing (EAH) program, including financial and nonfinancial support.

• Since 2015, Landed has partnered with employers of essential professionals in the healthcare, education, and public administration to provide down payment assistance through a shared equity program. Landed invests up to $120,000 toward home down payments and shares in future gain or loss in the employee’s home value.

• Aurora Health Care is a not-for-profit integrated health care provider based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that helps employees with housing close to the hospital. A 2008 evaluation showed participating employees performed better, stayed with the company longer and had lower turnover.