Earlier this year, Lucas and Jessica Shull were looking for more space for their growing family. The Shulls have three daughters, aged 5, 3, and under one year old. Lucas works for Conewago Enterprises, so it was important to him that he live and work in Adams County.

Online research helped Lucas learn about the Adams County Homebuyer Assistance Program, which is available through our organization, the Adams Economic Alliance. The program gives qualified applicants a $10,000 loan with zero interest and no payments.

He discussed it with his lender and together they learned the Shull family qualified for the program after speaking with our team. Lucas and Jessica asked many questions to ensure that the Adams County Homebuyer Assistance Program was a good fit for their financial goals.

“I didn’t want to get tied to something that was not going to be beneficial for our family in the long run,” Lucas said. “The Alliance staff answered all of our questions completely, allowing us to close on our home comfortably in April.”

Adams County’s median home was priced at $319,900 in October of 2024, up from $279,750 in the fall of 2022, and $250,000 in 2016. Rising prices and a competitive housing market, with many homebuyers offering above-asking prices, puts the American dream of home ownership out of reach for many people, leaving them in a seemingly never-ending cycle of escalating rent payments rather than home equity.

While we cannot control the market, the Alliance is proud to find ways to promote living and working here in the county.

The Alliance lends $10,000 to assist homebuyers with down payments or closing costs. To qualify, at least one person in the household must be employed by an Adams County employer. There is no monthly payment and zero interest. The loan is to be repaid when the home is either refinanced or sold; the Alliance takes a lien against the property.

The Alliance administers the program but its existence was a team effort. The Adams County Commissioners awarded our organization $323,000 in seed money to launch the program last year. Funding originated from the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), in response to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Alliance has partnered with @Home in Adams County, an initiative operated under South Central Community Action Programs (SCCAP) and supported by the Adams County Community Foundation, to establish the Adams County Homebuyer Assistance Program.

According to the United States Census Bureau, 41.6% of Adams County residents travel more than 30 minutes to work and 13.1% travel more than an hour to work. That is time in a vehicle that could be spent with family and friends.

The Adams County Homebuyer Assistance Program is one way we are working to reverse that trend. We are happy that Lucas, Jessica and their three beautiful children have more time on their acre and a half of land in Butler Township. It has only been two months since they settled, but they already have captured many family memories watching the girls run around the yard and are looking forward to many more special moments.

The Alliance is looking for more families like the Shulls whom we can help. To learn more, call me at 717-334-0042 or email me at gro.ecnaillasmada@sregdorb.

Brady Rodgers is the director of business and community outreach at Adams Economic Alliance, which comprises three organizations: The Adams County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC), the Adams County Industrial Development Authority (ACIDA) and the Adams County General Authority (ACGA). For more information, see adamsalliance.org, follow us on Facebook (http://www.Facebook.com/AdamsAlliance), X, formerly Twitter (@AdamsAlliance), Instagram (@adamscountypa) and LinkedIn (Adams Economic Alliance), or contact us at 717-334-0042.