Florida’s Hometown Heroes program can help eligible workers with down payment and closing costs. Before you count on it, you should know how it really works in 2025, who qualifies, and where the fine print lives.
Florida Hometown Heroes is a down payment and closing cost assistance program for eligible Florida workers. It’s intended to help people who serve their communities become homeowners by reducing the cash needed to close on a primary residence.
In 2025, assistance is typically provided as a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage that helps with down payment and closing costs up to program limits. You generally repay this second when you sell, refinance, transfer the home, or pay off the first mortgage.
The exact assistance amount, income limits, and terms depend on statewide guidelines and your county’s limits. Our role is to help you understand how those rules apply to your situation before you lean on this program for your purchase.
To use Hometown Heroes in 2025, you generally need to:
The program focuses on specific occupational categories. Below are the main 2025 categories and examples. This is an illustrative summary; eligibility is always based on the most recent Florida Housing guidance.
Full-time employees of Florida-based hospitals, clinics, assisted living, mental health, or healthcare facilities.
Full-time staff at Florida-based public, private, charter, or magnet K–12 schools.
Full-time first responders working for Florida-based fire, EMS, or hospital employers.
Full-time staff with Florida-based local, county, state, or federal departments.
Full-time employees of Florida-based court systems and related public offices.
Full-time workers at licensed or qualifying childcare providers in Florida.
Military borrowers with specific 2025 rules.
Important: The examples above are not exhaustive. Eligibility is ultimately determined by the official Florida Housing Finance Corporation guidelines and any updates they publish. We’ll verify your occupation against the current list before you rely on this program.
You (or your agent) can also review the official 2025 Eligible Occupations PDF directly from Florida Housing:
View the full 2025 Florida Hometown Heroes Eligible Occupations list (PDF)
The help you receive is typically a second mortgage with 0% interest and no monthly payment. You generally repay it when you sell, refinance, transfer the home, or pay off the first mortgage. It’s helpful — but it’s still a debt, not a grant.
The program can reduce cash to close, but you may still need money for inspections, earnest money, optional repairs, or costs above program caps. We’ll show a full estimate so you aren’t surprised at the closing table.
Even with assistance, your monthly payment may go up compared to renting or your current mortgage because of taxes, insurance, HOA dues, or a new loan amount. We’ll walk through both the monthly payment and the “total picture.”
If you refinance, the Hometown Heroes second mortgage usually needs to be repaid or subordinated under program rules, which may affect timing and options. We’ll talk through what that realistically looks like.
If a few of these sound like you, it’s worth a deeper look. If not, there may be other strategies we can walk through.
This doesn’t replace an official approval, but it can help you sense whether it’s worth a deeper look.
No. In most cases, assistance is structured as a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage. You don’t make monthly payments on it, but you usually repay it when you sell, refinance, transfer the home, or pay off the first mortgage. It’s powerful help, but it’s still a loan.
Sometimes, but not always. Stacking depends on program rules, lender overlays, and how much assistance you’re trying to combine. We’ll review whether combining programs is allowed and whether it’s wise for your situation.
It can add coordination steps and documentation, which may affect timelines. The key is making sure everyone — you, your agent, the seller, and the lender — understands that DPA may require a bit more time and paperwork.
Many borrowers do refinance later. When that happens, the Hometown Heroes second mortgage usually needs to be repaid or, in some cases, subordinated under program rules. We’ll talk through likely scenarios so you’re not surprised.
Hometown Heroes usually focuses on first-time homebuyers using the federal definition (no ownership of a primary residence in the last three years), with some exceptions for eligible veterans and other scenarios. We’ll verify how the current rules apply to you.
Minimum credit scores depend on the underlying loan type (Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA) and program overlays. Many scenarios start at 640 and up, but we’ll review your full profile to see what’s realistic and responsible.
Our goal is not just to get you approved, but to help you understand how this program fits your budget and your long-term plans. Sometimes Hometown Heroes is exactly the right tool. Sometimes we’ll recommend a different strategy — and we’ll explain why.
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