Fla.’s Hometown Heroes Program Hits $50M Milestone
The Florida Realtors-backed program funded with $100M has so far helped 3,500 teachers, police, ENTs, vets and others achieve the American dream of ownership.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida’s Hometown Heroes housing program – an issue strongly backed by Florida Realtors® during the 2022 session of the Florida Legislature and a helping hand for the people that hold communities together – has so far awarded more than $50 million in down payment and closing cost assistance to the state’s hometown heroes out of $100 million allocated for the program, which launched in June 2022.
“Law enforcement officers, first responders, veterans, nurses and other hometown heroes have dedicated their lives to serving their communities, and deserve our thanks,” says Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud that in just over six months we have been able to help nearly 3,500 hometown heroes purchase their first home.”
More than 100 eligible professions participate in the Hometown Heroes program, which provides frontline community workers with down payment and closing cost assistance to help purchase a primary residence in the communities where they work.
Eligible homebuyers receive up to 5% of their first mortgage loan amount (a maximum of $25,000) in down payment and closing cost assistance in the form of a 0%, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage. When the house is sold, the money then goes back into the Hometown Hero funds to help other hometown heroes.
To qualify for the program, homebuyers must connect with one of Florida Housing’s participating loan officers, have a minimum credit score of 640, provide certification for one of the eligible occupations, and meet the income threshold for their county.
“This milestone highlights the importance of the Hometown Heroes program to so many of Florida’s hardworking families,” says Mario Facella, chairman of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation’s Board of Directors, which oversees the program. “In just six months, we have assisted thousands of Floridians that play an essential role in our state’s workforce in purchasing their first home.”
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