Down Payment Assistance Program

The City of Durham Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program provides assistance to low-income persons and families for the purchase of a home, to be used as the primary residence, within the City of Durham.  The objectives of the Program are to:

  • Provide thorough knowledge of homeownership through homebuyer education & counseling;
  • Ensure that the applicant is ready to acquire housing and can sustain homeownership; and 
  • Assist with funding gaps by providing down payment and closing cost assistance.

The DPA Program is administered by the City's non-profit partner, Community Home Trust (CHT).

To be eligible:

  • Applicant(s) must be a first-time homebuyer or not have owned a home within the last three years
  • Applicant(s) must not own any other real property or have an ownership interest in any real estate at the time of closing
  • Applicant(s) must have a household income that does not exceed 80% Area Median Income (AMI) of the Durham-Chapel Hill HUD Metro Fair Market Rent Area
  • Applicant(s) must have worked or resided in the City of Durham for at least 12 months prior to applying
  • Applicant(s) must not have Liquid Assets that exceed $20,000.00
  • Applicant(s) who are full or part-time students at an institution of higher education are eligible unless all of the following are true about the student(s):
    • Under the age of 24
    • Is not a veteran of the United States Military
    • Is unmarried
    • Does not have a dependent child who resides with the household member at least 50% of the time
    • Is not a person with disabilities receiving Section 8 assistance as of November 30, 2005
    • Is not otherwise individually eligible or has parents who (individually or jointly) are not income-eligible to receive Section 8 assistance, unless the student can demonstrate their independence from their parents as defined by Federal Register (71 FR 18145)

HUD 2021 Home Adjusted Income Limits for Durham, NC

  1. Family Size12345678
    80% AMI$53,500$61,150$68,800$76,400$82,550$88,650$94,750$100,850

    Note: Income limits are based on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development HOME Income Limits.

Property Eligibility

Applicants must purchase a property located within the geographic boundaries of the City of Durham. Eligible property types include:

  • New Construction
  • Pre-existing Construction
  • Single-family Home
  • Condominium
  • Townhome
  • Manufactured Housing (newly constructed)

Additional information on eligibility requirements can be found on the Community Home Trust - Affordable Housing in North Carolina website.

How to apply:

Applications can be submitted online at: Community Home Trust - Affordable Housing in North Carolina.

This program is being carried out by the City of Durham's contracted DPA Program Administrator.  For additional information on the Down Payment Assistance Program and instructions on how to apply, please contact:

Community Home Trust
P.O. Box 2315
Chapel Hill, NC 27515
Phone: (919) 967-1545 ext. 302