HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Applications reopen on Aug. 18 for the Hometown Heroes Housing Assistance program. The program helps those who qualify with down payment assistance and closing costs.
You can get up to $35,000 to use towards buying a home. The program only applies to those who qualify as hometown heroes. That includes healthcare professionals, educators, active military, public safety employees, Coast Guard, and veterans employed by a Florida-based employer.
Christiana Calderon is a nurse who used the program to buy her home in Lakeland. She is a critical care nurse working overnights to take care of her patients. She told me she started her career in 2020, and her goal was to save enough money to buy a home.
WATCH: Hometown Heroes housing program reopens
“I’ve always wanted to buy. It’s been one of my goals to buy a house, so I knew going into nursing that is what I was working towards,” Calderon said.
After years of renting and help from the Hometown Heroes program, she was able to buy.
“It helped me with my down payment, so they kind of loaned me $15,000,” Calderon said.
She received $15,000 to help with the down payment. She will not have to pay any interest on that money, but if she ever sells the house or decides to rent it out, she will have to pay the money back.
“It’s giving people who are actually working in our communities a chance of home ownership," local real estate agent Susana Jimenez said.
She said this program helps with the down payment or closing costs to help our Hometown Heroes get into their homes for less money upfront.
This year, there is $50 million in new funding available. The program offers up to $35,000 in down payment assistance. Jimenez said a down payment is often the biggest hurdle for prospective home buyers.
“When a new buyer comes to me and we start talking about financials for them, always the first question is, 'How much do I need for a down payment?'" Jimenez said.
After applications open on Aug. 18, the funding will be first-come, first-served.
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