Housing Our Workforce Procedures & Requirements

As a member, now that you’ve decided to apply for Housing Our Workforce (HOW), mark your calendars with these important dates and review how the program works in detail.

Application Period & Funding Rounds

The application period for HOW opens Monday, February 2, 2026, and closes Friday, February 27, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. Members will be notified of their enrollment cap the week of March 16, 2026.

Approved members will have access to the funds allocated to the HOW funding round until they have met their maximum amount or until the pool runs out. Funds are always on a first-come, first-served basis. Please refer to the 2026 Program Features and Notice of Changes and the EBP HOW Procedures, which will be posted in early 2026.*

2026 Funding Release Dates

Date	Type of Funding Release
Wednesday, April 1	state-by-state; member cap is $125,000
Wednesday, April 15	general pool
Friday, May 1	general pool; member cap increases up to $250,000
Friday, May 15	general pool
Monday, June 1	general pool
Tuesday, June 2	leftover state-by-state funding moved into general pool
Monday, June 15	general pool

Going through the Process

There are three easy steps to take advantage of HOW:

• Apply to participate in the program (this is an annual application process)
• Once approved to participate, enroll homebuyers
• After the closing, request disbursement of the grant(s)

To apply and enroll homebuyers, go to the Community Lending Login. All other forms for the application and enrollment process can be found in Forms & Applications.

The standard review time for homebuyer enrollment applications is 15 business days assuming all acceptable documentation has been submitted.

To ensure you have all necessary documentation, you can refer to this checklist.

*The number of periods, the percentages, and dates can change based on FHLBank Boston’s sole discretion, the current year’s program need, and member/homebuyer demand.