Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Hometown Heroes Program Reaches Milestone $50 Million Awarded for Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Today, Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Hometown Heroes housing assistance program has awarded more than $50 million in down payment and closing cost assistance to Florida’s hometown heroes. The program assists individuals such as law enforcement officers, educators, healthcare professionals, and active military personnel or veterans in purchasing their first home in Florida. The Hometown Heroes housing assistance program launched in June 2022 and has since assisted nearly 3,500 hometown heroes in purchasing their first home in the community that they serve.

“Law enforcement officers, first responders, veterans, nurses, and other hometown heroes have dedicated their lives to serving their communities, and deserve our thanks,” said 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.”

“This milestone highlights the importance of the Hometown Heroes program to so many of Florida’s hardworking families,” said Mario Facella, Chairman of the Florida Housing Finance Corporation Board of Directors. “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. We’re grateful to Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for their dedication to housing efforts and look forward to continuing to see the positive impacts of this program.”

The Hometown Heroes program provides Florida’s frontline community workers in more than 100 eligible professions with down payment and closing cost assistance to help purchase a primary residence in the communities where they work. Eligible homebuyers will receive up to 5% of their first mortgage loan amount (up to 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. To qualify for this 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.

$100 million was allocated in the Freedom First Budget, signed by Governor DeSantis, for the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program. The Hometown Heroes Housing Program is available to Floridians including law enforcement officers, firefighters, educators, healthcare professionals, childcare employees, and active military personnel or veterans. In July 2022, the Governor announced that the program had provided more than $12 million in down payment assistance to Florida’s hometown heroes since launching on June 1, 2022.