Live Baltimore Expands Buy Back the Block Program

Live Baltimore is relaunching and expanding its award-winning Buy Back the Block program, which helps Baltimore City renters become homeowners and build wealth in the neighborhoods they already call home.

The program will reopen to applicants on July 15 with record funding and its largest eligibility area to date. The updated map is based on Baltimore City’s Housing Market Typology, covering Categories D through J. Previous eligibility was determined using federally designated Qualified Census Tracts.

Buy Back the Block offers financial assistance to income-eligible residents seeking to purchase homes in designated Baltimore neighborhoods. The program is intended to prevent displacement, stabilize communities and increase Black homeownership, a major pathway toward building generational wealth.

Since launching as a pilot program in 2023, Buy Back the Block has helped more than 200 Baltimore residents purchase homes across 88 neighborhoods. Those transactions represented approximately $46 million in home sales.

The program has distributed more than $3.12 million in direct homebuying assistance and generated an estimated $2.03 million in annual Baltimore City property tax revenue. During the program’s most recent phase, 99% of grant recipients were first-time homebuyers.

Applicants may choose between two grants that do not require repayment. One option provides $15,000 toward purchasing a home. The second provides $20,000 toward purchasing and renovating a property.

To qualify, applicants must currently live at an eligible address and have resided there for at least 12 consecutive months. They must also complete homeownership counseling through a city-approved agency, work with a Live Baltimore-approved lender and meet income and other program requirements.

Baltimore residents interested in applying must not currently own real estate. Potential applicants can visit Live Baltimore’s website to check whether their address qualifies, complete an eligibility quiz and review additional resources.

Funding is limited and grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.

Live Baltimore Expands ‘Buy Back the Block’ Homeownership Program was originally published on 92q.com