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Bethlehem Mayor Bob Donchez announced in June that the City is unveiling a new and improved – and forgivable – homebuyer program, Bethlehem Homebuyer Assistance Program (BHAP). The City and the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley’s Community Action Financial Services staff are working together to administer the program.
 
“Creating affordable places to live is a priority for the City,” Donchez said. “Owning a home is truly a benchmark in an individual or family’s life. It’s a place where you start and end your day, and where families begin and grow old. The City wants to help low- and moderate-income families by lowering the barriers to home ownership by reducing down payment and closing costs.”
 
BHAP subsidizes down payment and closing costs for income qualified homebuyers who have not owned a home in the past three years and who are looking to purchase a home in the City of Bethlehem. The program can provide up to 10 percent of a down payment plus closing costs. A BHAP loan is structured as a deferred payment loan with a 0 percent interest rate and gradual forgiveness over a 10-year period. If the home is sold before the 10-year financing term, you will be required to repay the loan proceeds on a prorated basis. Many lending institutions have been notified of the program.
 
For additional information or to learn if your client qualifies for the BHAP program, CLICK HERE, call 610-865-7055, or email the City at rda@bethlehem-pa.gov or CACLV at carroyo@caclv.org.