In spring 2023, the Washington State Legislature passed the Covenant Homeownership Act with bipartisan support. The act creates a new program and funding source to help people who have been impacted by Washington’s history of housing discrimination become homeowners.

Eligibility is based on the mandates of the Covenant Homeownership Act and the recommendations of the Covenant Homeownership Program Study. Please see HeretoHome.org/Covenant or call 877-894-4663 for detailed eligibility information.

You may be eligible if:

• You or a parent/grandparent lived in Washington state before 1968

• The pre-1968 resident is Black, Hispanic, Indigenous, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or part of another racial group identified in the Covenant study
• You and your spouse are first-time homebuyers (as defined in the Covenant Homeownership Act)
• You meet income limits for your county (see HeretoHome.org/Covenant)

No. The Covenant program and its funding are fine. Funds continue to come in each month. The program’s funding is constantly replenished from document recording fees.

The steps to use the Covenant program will be the same, but starting April 20, 2026, most of the steps must now be taken up front before house-hunting. Homebuyers and lenders will need to plan ahead and get all documentation accepted at the beginning. Homebuyers and lenders will then get written authorization from the Commission when they are cleared to house-hunt and go under contract for a home.

Monthly demand for Covenant loans is now outpacing the monthly supply of funds, so a fair and orderly process is needed to put fully prepared homebuyers “in line” for funds when they become available. This process ensures that all homebuyers are completely ready to close before they search for a home and that the Covenant funds are ready for them when needed. Every Covenant homebuyer can proceed from house-hunting to closing with confidence.

The Covenant Homeownership Act defines “first-time homebuyer” broadly. You may be eligible if the following is true for both you and your spouse (if married). Detailed eligibility criteria can be found at heretohome.org/covenant.

• You have not owned a home within the past three years
• You are a single parent who has only owned a home while married to a former spouse.
• You are a displaced homemaker and have only owned a home with a spouse.
• You have only owned a residence that had no permanent foundation (such as a manufactured home)
• You only owned a property that was determined to be uninhabitable.

Income limits for the Covenant program are based on 120% of the Area Median Income in the county where the home is to be purchased. You can find specific income limits at Heretohome.org/covenant.

The Commission intends to be as flexible as possible in accepting documentation of race and pre-1968 residency in Washington. Again, the homebuyer must submit this documentation for the person who lived in Washington before 1968—whether that person is the homebuyer themselves or their parent/grandparent/great-grandparent.

Some examples of acceptable documents include:

• Birth & Death certificates
• School records
• Death certificates
• Church records
• Probate Records
• Newspaper clippings
• Marriage certificates
• Employer records
• Military records
• Genealogical records from reliable sources
• Tribal membership records
• Draft card
• Social Security Claims & Applications
• WA State Concealed Weapon License
• Census data
• Obituaries
• Historical Societies

Your lender and/or housing counselor will help you gather the documents. Some good sources include the following. The Commission will continue to add resources to this section.

• Vital Records Department of the state Department of Health
• Legacy Washington
• FamilySearch.org: Create a free account to search family records.
• Ancestry.com: This is a paid service, but you can often access Ancestry.com for free from your local library.
• Newspapers.com
• MyHeritage.com
• Public libraries:
  • Find your local library here.
  • Seattle Public Library
  • King County Library Research
  • Tacoma Public Library
  • Spokane Public Library Research

You can access this program by working with a Commission-trained lender to prequalify for a mortgage loan and establish your eligibility.

The Washington State Homeownership Hotline at 1-877-894-4663 is also a great way to easily connect to the Covenant Homeownership Program, as well as other free support, guidance and financial help.

The hotline will help you reach the next step based on your situation, goals and preferences. If you are not quite ready for a mortgage, the hotline will connect you with free support and guidance to get on the path to your goal, no matter where you are today.

A 2025 amendment to the Covenant Homeownership Act allows Covenant downpayment assistance loans to be forgiven after five years in certain circumstances. The forgiveness applies only to the downpayment assistance loan, not to the main mortgage on the property. 

Only homebuyers who earned under 80% of Area Median Income at the time they bought their home are eligible for loan forgiveness. Various restrictions apply; see Heretohome.org/covenant for more details.