The Employee Down Payment Assistance Program is an employee benefit open to all full-time, County of San Mateo and Housing Authority employees. The program is designed to encourage County and Housing Authority employees to live in the County, decreasing the environmental impact and the physical/emotional effects of a long commute.

The program offers a $100,000 loan (second mortgage) towards the purchase of a home in San Mateo County. The loan is deferred for the first five years amortized for 30 years at three percent (3%) interest . The County also offers a $5,000 grant to help cover closing costs, if you live outside of San Mateo County and thereby moving intothe County.

(For County residents or those interested in First Time Homebuyers Programs, please check out our website: https://housing.smcgov.org/first-time-homebuyer-programs)

ELIGIBLITY

  • County of San Mateo or Housing Authority employee; AND
  • Currently a full-time, permanent employee for at least 18 months; AND
  • No income restrictions and cannot currently own a home in San Mateo County; AND
  • Pre-Approval letter from Monterra Credit Union (REQUIRED).

DRAWING

All eligible applicants, who submit a pre-approval letter from Monterra Credit Union, will have their names included in the quarterly drawing.

Five names will be drawn quarterly.

The next drawing:  TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2025

FUTURE DRAWINGS:

DRAWING DATES FOR 2026 WILL BE RELEASED IN JANUARY 2026.

WEBINAR

The County will host, monthly Employee Down Payment Assistance Program “Lunch and Learn” seminars.

Virtual Zoom seminars will be hosted on the following dates:

  • Friday, October 10th – Noon-1 p.m.
  • Thursday, November 20th – Noon-1 p.m.
  • Wednesday, December 3rd – Noon – 1 p.m.

For the attendee link, please check the County’s Intranet site and the County’s “Upcoming Events”: https://smcgov.sharepoint.com/Pages/intra_home.aspx or to receive the attendee link, please contact Nila Kim at nhkim@smcgov.org

For additional information about the program, please see the PDFs below.

If you have additional questions or would like a departmental presentation, please contact Nila Kim at nhkim@smchousing.org or via phone at (650) 802-5002.