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A group of women is gathered at an the LevelUp (formerly FSS) graduation. The woman in the center, wearing a patterned blouse, is laughing and appears to be the focus of the moment. She is joined by other smiling women, some of whom are wearing FSS Grad green ribbon pins. In the background, a woman stands at a podium, speaking into a microphone. The atmosphere is joyful and celebratory.

Discover Your Path to Homeownership

Explore Two Exciting Pathways to Owning Your Home

Welcome to HOME

CHA’s new HOME (Home Ownership Made Easy) program makes it easier to buy your own home with two helpful options. You can use a voucher to help pay your mortgage or get a grant to cover part of your down payment and closing costs.

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Explore Programs

Two Pathways to Homeownership

A man wearing a red shirt standing outside a CHA Public Housing building.

Choose to Own (CTO)

CHA’s Choose to Own Homeownership Program (CTO) allows qualified Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Public Housing families to use their housing subsidy to buy a home and receive monthly assistance with a portion of their mortgage payment.
A woman in a yellow shirt holds a young child on her lap while sitting at a table. Another woman, wearing a gray jacket and earrings, sits across from them, smiling and holding a pen. They appear to be engaged in a discussion or meeting, with open notebooks and a phone on the table in front of them. The setting looks like a home or office with bright, natural lighting.

Down Payment Assistance (DPA)

CHA’s Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program, in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, assists first-time homeowners who meet eligibility requirements with a grant of up to $20,000 to aid with down-payment and closing costs.

Building Wealth: Home Ownership Made Easy

View Impact Report
15
Families purchased a new home through the Down Payment Assistance program
43
Families closed on a home through the Choose to Own program in 2023
850
People have purchased homes since CTO began in 2002
A man and woman holding onto oversized key.
Stories that Inspire
I’m a little more than low-income, and there aren’t a lot of resources out there for this group of people. We don’t qualify for certain benefits, but we do need some assistance. That’s where the DPA comes in handy.
Samantha Stokes
Homeowner
Read Full Story

Two Pathways to Homeownership

A man wearing a red shirt standing outside a CHA Public Housing building.

Choose to Own (CTO)

CHA’s Choose to Own Homeownership Program (CTO) allows qualified Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Public Housing families to use their housing subsidy to buy a home and receive monthly assistance with a portion of their mortgage payment.
A woman in a yellow shirt holds a young child on her lap while sitting at a table. Another woman, wearing a gray jacket and earrings, sits across from them, smiling and holding a pen. They appear to be engaged in a discussion or meeting, with open notebooks and a phone on the table in front of them. The setting looks like a home or office with bright, natural lighting.

Down Payment Assistance (DPA)

CHA’s Down Payment Assistance (DPA) Program, in partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago, assists first-time homeowners who meet eligibility requirements with a grant of up to $20,000 to aid with down-payment and closing costs.