DCHP down payment assistance: Douglas County help for first-time buyers

Fact sheet

How DCHP assistance works

Douglas County Housing Partnership offers down payment help as a second loan. The option with published terms is an amortizing loan: $15,000 at 3% interest over 30 years, which DCHP lists at about $63.24 a month. That payment is small, but it is a payment, so lenders count it in your debt ratio. DCHP describes other assistance amounts on its site without stating figures; ask DCHP which options are funded when you apply.

Who qualifies for DCHP?

Buyers must be first-time buyers under HUD's definition and earn at or below 80% of AMI. DCHP gives preference to people who live or work in Douglas County, which covers communities like Castle Rock, Parker, Lone Tree and Highlands Ranch. The purchase price limit is $556,000, a real constraint in this county. Expect to put in about 1% of the price from your own funds, at least $1,000. The property must meet HUD guidelines, and homebuyer education is required.

DCHP alongside CHFA programs

An amortizing second is not a grant, so a DCHP loan likely cannot be added to a Schools To Home first mortgage, which only accepts outside grants. Douglas County buyers can also look at metroDPA, which covers Castle Rock, Parker, Lone Tree and unincorporated Douglas County. Whether DCHP can layer with metroDPA or a general CHFA loan is a question a participating lender confirms.

The $556,000 cap is lower than the state's general loan limits, so start your search with homes priced under it. A household at the cap putting in the 1% minimum would bring about $5,560 of its own money. Because the property must meet HUD guidelines, a home that needs major repairs may not qualify until those repairs are made. Ask DCHP about timing so its approval lines up with your contract deadlines.

How to apply

1. Confirm your income is at or below 80% AMI for your household size.
2. Take a homebuyer education class.
3. Contact DCHP for its application and current options.
4. Get pre-approved and shop under the $556,000 cap.

See the Douglas County page, our student loans and mortgages guide on debt ratios, and check eligibility.

County guides for this program: Douglas County.

Questions about DCHP Down Payment Assistance

Similar programs

• metroDPA (Metro Down Payment Assistance) · Denver metro / Front Range: listed cities and towns plus unincorporated Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas, Elbert, Jefferson and Larimer counties
• CHFA HomeAccess / HomeAccess Plus
• CHFA SectionEight Homeownership / SectionEight Homeownership Plus
• CHFA Preferred Very Low Income (VLIP)
• Colorado HFA1 / Colorado HFA1 Plus
• Colorado Roots Down Payment Assistance Fund

Summarized from the program's official page, November 2026. Money and rules shift; check today's terms with the administrator or a participating lender. Colorado Down Payment Assistance has no tie to this program.