Opening the Door to Homeownership

by closing the financing gap

Learn More

City First Homes is now Homes by CFE.

Homes by CFE helps low to moderate-income borrowers leave the cycle of renting and achieve stable, affordable homeownership. By supporting borrowers with the necessary funds to be able to make a down payment, program participants avoid the added cost of mortgage insurance, and lower their upfront down payment and closing costs. As nonprofit lenders, we are guided by the values of transparency, equity, and responsibility.

Homes by CFE developed the Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program as a Special Purpose Credit Program (SPCP) designed to benefit low to moderate-income African American / Black / and Hispanic / Latinx households — the groups that experience the most significant homeownership gap in DC. Learn more about SPCPs here. 

How can we help you?

Down Payment Assistance

Are you interested in becoming a homeowner, and do you identify as African American/Black and/or Hispanic/Latinx? Learn about program eligibility, loan terms, and support.

DPA Program Guide

Legacy Program Information

Are you a homeowner through the original City First Homes program? If you purchased your property before January 30, 2022, get info on program updates, resales, and more.

Legacy Program Information

Impact: Get to Know Our Borrowers

The DC Metro area is a high-cost market, and most Black and Latinx residents are priced out of home ownership. Homes by CFE borrowers live in communities where: 

 

 

A Legacy of Innovation

Homes by CFE is a subsidiary of City First Enterprises, a nonprofit that helps achieve racial, economic, and social equity by providing access to capital and financial expertise for education, nonprofits, small businesses, climate-focused initiatives, and multi-family affordable housing projects in the DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas.  

We launched the Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program as a SPCP, a provision of the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to enable us to focus on the communities most in need – and to help change outcomes for generations of families. 

Learn more about SPCPs