Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program: Up to $35,000 for Frontline Workers

What Is the Hometown Heroes Program?

Hometown Heroes is a state administered second mortgage program designed to reward Florida's frontline workforce, the people who serve the communities they can't always afford to live in. It pairs a competitive 30 year fixed first mortgage with down payment and closing cost assistance, and waives the standard 1% origination fee, saving eligible buyers thousands more at closing.

Eligibility comes down to who employs you and where you work, not your job title. A cafeteria worker or janitor at a hospital or K-12 school qualifies. A fully remote employee does not.

Who Qualifies for Hometown Heroes

Eligible occupations include:

• Healthcare workers (hospitals, clinics, and related facilities)
• K-12 school employees, including teachers, cafeteria staff, and janitorial staff
• First responders: firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics
• Law enforcement and correctional officers
• Court system and childcare workers
• Active duty, reserve, and National Guard members of all branches
• Veterans discharged under other than dishonorable conditions, employed full time with a Florida based employer

You must work full time (35+ hours a week, other than veterans) at a physical, brick and mortar Florida location your employer operates. Fully remote employees don't qualify. Hybrid employees qualify only if they're on site at least 3 days a week. Self employed or 1099 workers can qualify too, but only if they work full time for one employer at one physical location, not multiple part time gigs pieced together.

How Much Assistance You Can Get

• 5% of your total first mortgage loan amount, capped at $35,000
• $10,000 minimum, so loans of $200,000 or less automatically receive the full $10,000
• Structured as a 0% interest, non-amortizing, 30 year second mortgage
• No monthly payments. The assistance is a loan, not a grant, and is repaid in full when you sell, refinance, transfer the deed, pay off your first mortgage, or stop occupying the home as your primary residence

Two Versions of the Program

Hometown Heroes comes in two versions, and your loan officer will help you pick the better fit:

Basic Eligibility Requirements

• First time homebuyer, meaning no ownership interest in a primary residence in the past 3 years (veterans and buyers in federally designated targeted areas are exempt from this rule)
• Minimum credit score of 640 across all borrowers (660 for manufactured housing or manual underwriting)
• Household income under 150% of the area median income for your county
• Property must be your primary residence, and you must occupy it within 60 days of closing
• Manufactured/modular housing is permitted if built in 1994 or later
• At least one applicant must complete an approved homebuyer education course (online, roughly 2 to 4 hours, valid for 2 years). Veterans using a VA loan and non-occupying co-borrowers are exempt

Income limits vary by county and by which version (TBA or Bond) you use. As an example, the 2026 household income limit is approximately $153,750 in the Jacksonville metro (Duval, St. Johns, Clay, and Nassau counties), and goes up to roughly $195,450 in higher cost counties like Monroe. We'll confirm your exact limit for your county.

Can Hometown Heroes Be Combined With Other Assistance?

Generally, no. Hometown Heroes is the only second mortgage allowed alongside its first mortgage, and it cannot be combined with any other Florida Housing DPA program. All borrowers are also limited to one time participation in Florida Housing's homebuyer loan programs overall.

Local county or city assistance is sometimes possible in third lien position, but that's the exception, not something to plan around. Veterans and active military can combine Hometown Heroes with a VA loan (0% down), which can mean little to nothing out of pocket at closing.

How to Apply

1. Confirm your occupation and employer meet the requirements. We'll check this with you directly, it takes just a few minutes.
2. Get pre-approved for your first mortgage (FHA, VA, USDA, or Conventional) through a participating Hometown Heroes lender.
3. Complete your homebuyer education course if it's required for your situation.
4. Your lender reserves your Hometown Heroes funds once you have a fully executed sales contract. You cannot reserve funds before that.
5. Close on your home, with the assistance applied at closing to reduce your out of pocket costs.

Why Hometown Heroes Matters in Florida

Since launching, the program has generated billions in first mortgage financing and delivered hundreds of millions in down payment assistance, helping thousands of Florida families become homeowners, including thousands of veterans, healthcare professionals, first responders, and teachers. With Florida's median home price continuing to climb faster than wages, Hometown Heroes remains one of the most meaningful tools available to the workers who keep Florida's communities running.

Other Florida Housing Programs Worth Knowing About

Hometown Heroes is Florida's flagship program, but Florida Housing Finance Corporation and local county agencies offer other assistance too, including standard FL Assist style second mortgages available to all eligible first time buyers regardless of occupation, the Salute Our Soldiers Military Loan Program for veterans and active duty service members, and various county specific homebuyer purchase assistance programs.

If you don't qualify for Hometown Heroes based on your occupation or income, ask us about these alternatives, since one of them may still get you into a home with minimal cash out of pocket.

Are You a Florida Hometown Hero?

Whether you're a teacher, nurse, firefighter, law enforcement officer, or veteran, you may be closer to owning a home in Florida than you think. Let's check your eligibility together, confirm your county's income limit, and see exactly how much assistance you could receive.