Downpayment Assistance Programs (DPAs)¹ are often used by cities, nonprofits and lenders as real estate finance tools to expand access to homeownership and strengthen local housing markets. As homeownership becomes less attainable for Americans, DPAs are becoming an increasingly critical tool to support homebuyers, including in high-cost areas like Washington, DC region and metropolitan cities like College Park. 

In 2019, College Park stakeholders identified affordable homeownership as a critical priority for the coming decade. The College Park City-University Partnership’s (Partnership’s) downpayment assistance programs serve as a key tool to advance housing goals outlined in the University-Community Vision 2030. In the past decade, we’ve awarded $1.85 million in downpayment assistance and supported over $42 million in home sales in College Park. Though these figures reflect meaningful progress toward stabilizing homeownership in College Park neighborhoods, College Park’s housing market has become increasingly expensive and competitive. Since our first DPA program launched in 2016, median home sales increased by nearly 54% since 2016, while incomes grew a much slower rate of 7.8%². Although rising home values strengthened home equity for existing homeowners, they made entering the market increasingly difficult for prospective buyers. 

In response, the Partnership updated its approach to downpayment assistance. In 2024, we sunseted the Homeownership Program and launched Live+Work College Park, a redesigned initiative with enhanced support adjusted to the post-pandemic housing market. We increased the amount of assistance to $20,000 per qualifying home purchase. We also made Live+Work available to all full-time employees of College Park and the Discovery District, expanding eligibility to more than 30,000 workers.   

It worked! In 2025, The program recorded the strongest participation of any Partnership housing program to date, securing 15 transactions, awarding $300,000 in homebuyer assistance and generating $7.1 million in home purchases. 

What’s Next for Live+Work

While we’re excited about Live+Work College Park’s growth, deeper affordability measures are needed to support employees entering the current housing market. This summer, we will roll out the next iteration of Live+Work College Park. Under the new guidelines, all eligible buyers will receive a guaranteed base of $20,000 in down payment assistance, with additional support provided on a sliding scale based on household income levels. This scaled approach will make homeownership more attainable for College Park’s workforce, as market conditions evolve. 

Though we’re updating our strategy, our goal remains the same: reduce commutes, strengthen community, and enhance quality of life for employees of College Park and the Discovery District. We’re excited to share additional details on new program guidelines this Spring. Subscribe to our mailing list and watch our webpage to stay up to date. 

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