The Florida Hometown Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program continues to be one of the most valuable homebuyer programs available in the Sunshine State.
Designed for eligible Florida workers, military members and veterans, the program can provide significant assistance with the upfront costs of buying a home.
For qualified borrowers, the Florida Hometown Heroes Program can provide up to 5% of the first mortgage loan amount toward down payment and closing costs, with a minimum assistance amount of $10,000 and a maximum of $35,000.
That assistance can make a major difference for Florida homebuyers who have sufficient income to afford a monthly mortgage payment but may have difficulty accumulating enough cash for the down payment, closing costs and prepaid expenses required when purchasing a home.
However, one of the biggest questions buyers have in 2026 is:
What jobs qualify for the Florida Hometown Heroes Program?
The occupation requirements are important because the program is targeted toward specific groups of Florida workers. Below, we break down the Florida Hometown Heroes eligible occupation list, including healthcare workers, teachers and school employees, first responders, law enforcement personnel, court employees, childcare workers, military members and veterans.
Please note: We also offer FL Housing Standard Bond and Standard TBA program which most other lenders do not offer. These are great DPA alternatives in case a borrower’s employer or occupation does not meet the HTH job requirements listed below.
💰 How Much Florida Hometown Heroes Assistance Can You Receive?
Qualified homebuyers can receive assistance equal to 5% of their first mortgage loan amount.
The program currently provides:
- Minimum assistance: $10,000
- Maximum assistance: $35,000
- Up to 5% of the first mortgage loan amount
- 0% interest
- No monthly payment on the assistance
- 30-year deferred second mortgage
The assistance can generally be applied toward the buyer’s required down payment and eligible closing costs.
For example, a buyer obtaining a $400,000 first mortgage could potentially receive 5%, or $20,000, through the Hometown Heroes program.
On a $500,000 first mortgage, 5% would equal $25,000.
Once the calculation reaches $35,000, the program’s maximum assistance limit applies.
⚠️ Is Hometown Heroes a Forgivable Grant?
No. This is one detail every Florida homebuyer should understand before using the program.
Florida Housing structures Hometown Heroes assistance as a 0% interest, non-amortizing, 30-year deferred second mortgage. It does not require monthly payments, but it is not a forgivable grant.
The second mortgage generally becomes due when the homeowner:
- Sells the home
- Refinances the first mortgage
- Transfers the deed
- No longer occupies the property as a primary residence
This structure can still provide an enormous benefit because qualified buyers can receive thousands of dollars toward purchasing a home without adding another monthly loan payment.
👷 Who Can Qualify for Florida Hometown Heroes in 2026?
Occupation eligibility is much more important under the current Hometown Heroes guidelines.
Florida Housing states that the 2026 program is limited to certain eligible borrowers, including people working full-time for a Florida-based employer as a:
- Healthcare worker
- School staff member
- First responder
- Public safety employee
- Court employee
- Childcare worker
The program also includes certain:
- U.S. military servicemembers
- Military Reserve members
- U.S. Coast Guard members or reservists
- Florida National Guard members
- Veterans who are employed full-time by a Florida-based employer
Only one borrower on the loan needs to meet the eligible occupation requirement. This can be especially useful for married couples purchasing together. If one borrower has an eligible occupation and the other borrower does not, the household may still potentially qualify, assuming all remaining mortgage and program requirements are satisfied.
🏥 Healthcare Workers Eligible for Florida Hometown Heroes
Healthcare is one of the largest groups of eligible occupations under the Florida Hometown Heroes Program.
Florida Housing states that eligible healthcare workers may be employed full-time by a Florida-based healthcare provider or physician, hospital, assisted-living facility, mental-health facility or other qualifying healthcare facility.
Examples of eligible nursing occupations include:
- Registered Nurse — RN
- Licensed Practical Nurse — LPN
- Advanced Practice Registered Nurse — APRN
- Certified Nursing Assistant — CNA
- Clinical Nurse Specialist
- Nurse Anesthetist
- Nurse Midwife
- Nursing Technician
Medical technicians are also prominently represented on the eligible occupation list.
Examples include:
- Anesthesia Support Technician
- Cardiology Technician
- Clinical Technician
- CT Technician
- Emergency Room Technician
- Laboratory Technician
- Neurology Technician
- Nuclear Medicine Technician
- Monitor Technician
- Orthopedic Technician
- Pharmacy Technician
- Radiation Technician
- Rehabilitation Technician
- Sonographer
- Surgical Technician
- X-ray Technician
Florida Housing also lists a variety of medical therapy professions, including:
- Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Respiratory Therapist
- Speech Therapist
- Audiology Therapist
🩺 Doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists & Medical Support Workers
Eligibility isn’t limited to nurses and hospital technicians.
Florida Housing’s occupation guidance also includes examples such as:
- Physician
- Physician Assistant
- Anesthesiologist
- Anesthesiologist Assistant
- Dentist
- Pharmacist
- Nuclear Pharmacist
- Pharmacy Technician
Other healthcare-related occupations listed as examples include:
- Dental Assistant
- Dental Hygienist
- Medical Assistant
- Patient Care Assistant
- Patient Transporter
- Phlebotomist
Depending on the employer and exact position, additional healthcare employees may potentially qualify. This is why homebuyers shouldn’t automatically assume they are ineligible simply because their exact job title isn’t shown in a short list online.
Your employer, employment status and job category can all matter when determining eligibility.
🧠 Mental Health Workers May Also Qualify
Florida’s eligible healthcare category also includes many mental-health professionals and support workers.
Examples published by Florida Housing include:
- Behavioral Health Specialist
- Behavioral Health Technician
- Behavioral Health Therapist
- Case Manager
- Mental Health Specialist
- Mental Health Technician
- Mental Health Therapist
- Psychiatrist
- Psychologist
- Social Worker
This is an important part of the program because healthcare employment extends far beyond physicians and nurses.
A borrower working full-time for a qualifying Florida mental-health facility or healthcare provider should have their occupation reviewed by a participating Hometown Heroes lender rather than assuming they don’t qualify.
🍎 Teachers and Florida School Employees
The Hometown Heroes Program is not limited to classroom teachers. Many other full-time K-12 school employees may also be eligible.
Florida Housing states that borrowers employed full-time by a Florida-based K-12 public, private, charter or magnet school can qualify within the school staff category.
Examples include:
- Classroom Teacher
- Teacher Aide
- Assistant Principal
- Principal
- Guidance Counselor / Career Specialist
- School Counselor
- School Psychologist
- Librarian / Media Specialist
- Social Worker
- Food Service / Cafeteria Staff
- Maintenance / Janitorial Staff
This is an especially important distinction.
You do not necessarily have to be a certified classroom teacher to potentially qualify as a school employee. A full-time cafeteria employee, teacher aide or maintenance employee at an eligible K-12 school could potentially meet the occupation requirement.
🚒 Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics
First responders remain an important part of the Florida Hometown Heroes Program.
Florida Housing identifies eligible first responders as full-time workers employed by a qualifying Florida-based fire department, ambulance service or hospital.
Examples include:
- Firefighters
- Certified Emergency Medical Technicians — EMTs
- Certified Paramedics
For first responders who have been renting while trying to save enough money to purchase a home, up to $35,000 in assistance can dramatically reduce the amount of money needed at closing.
🚔 Police Officers, Corrections and Public Safety Employees
Florida public safety workers are another major eligible group.
Florida Housing says qualifying employees can include individuals employed full-time by Florida-based local, county, state or federal law enforcement departments, juvenile detention facilities, correctional facilities or emergency operations centers.
Examples include:
- Sworn Law Enforcement Officer
- Police Officer
- Sheriff’s Deputy
- 911 Public Safety Communicator
- 911 Operator
- Emergency Dispatcher
- Correctional Officer
- Correctional Probation Officer
- Juvenile Detention Officer
- Juvenile Probation Officer
The official list uses categories and examples, so buyers working in related public-safety positions should have their employment reviewed individually.
⚖️ Court Employees Can Qualify
Certain Florida court employees are also included under Hometown Heroes eligibility.
Florida Housing identifies eligible borrowers working full-time for qualifying county, state or federal courts, court administrators’ offices, State Attorney’s Offices and Public Defender’s Offices.
Examples include:
- Assistant State Attorney
- Assistant Public Defender
- Court Clerk
- Court Reporter / Court Stenographer
- Certain Attorneys employed by qualifying Florida courts
This can include employees working within the Florida Supreme Court, District Courts of Appeal, Circuit Courts and county court systems when applicable.
🧸 Florida Childcare Workers
Full-time childcare employees can also potentially take advantage of the Florida Hometown Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program.
Florida Housing includes employees working for qualifying Florida-based licensed childcare facilities and certain childcare facilities that are exempt from licensure under applicable Florida law.
Examples include:
- Workers at licensed childcare centers
- Daycare employees
- Certain workers at licensed or registered home daycare facilities
Again, the job title itself may not tell the entire story. Where you work can be just as important as what your job is called.
A prospective homebuyer who works full-time at a qualifying childcare facility should have their employer and occupation reviewed before ruling out the program.
🎖️ Active Military, National Guard, Reserves and Veterans
Florida Hometown Heroes also provides eligibility for certain military servicemembers and veterans.
The 2026 program includes qualifying members of:
- United States Armed Forces
- United States Military Reserves
- United States Coast Guard
- Coast Guard Reserves
- Florida National Guard
The program also includes veterans who are employed full-time by a Florida-based employer.
Military borrowers may also be able to pair Hometown Heroes assistance with an eligible VA home loan, depending on their individual circumstances.
For an eligible VA borrower, this combination can be particularly valuable because a VA mortgage may already offer 100% financing, while Hometown Heroes assistance may help address eligible closing costs and other required funds.
🏡 What Mortgage Programs Can Be Used With Hometown Heroes?
Florida Hometown Heroes is not a standalone mortgage.
Instead, eligible assistance is paired with an approved first mortgage.
Florida Housing currently identifies several first-mortgage options, including:
- FHA loans
- VA loans
- USDA Rural Development loans
- Conventional loans
The appropriate mortgage depends on the borrower’s credit, income, debt-to-income ratio, property, military status, location and other qualification factors.
For example, one buyer may benefit most from an FHA mortgage while another may qualify for a conventional loan.
Eligible veterans may prefer VA financing, while buyers purchasing in USDA-approved rural and suburban locations may potentially qualify for USDA financing. *Note, the USDA rural housing program has it’s own internal income limits for eligibility, often less than Hometown Heroes.
📍 Can Hometown Heroes Be Used Anywhere in Florida?
The program is designed to help qualified homebuyers purchase a primary residence in Florida.
That means eligible homebuyers may potentially use the program in markets throughout the state, including:
- Jacksonville
- Orlando
- Tampa
- Miami
- Fort Lauderdale
- West Palm Beach
- Sarasota
- Fort Myers
- Naples
- Tallahassee
- Gainesville
- Ocala
- Pensacola
- Lakeland
- Daytona Beach
- St. Augustine
Income and mortgage limits can vary based on the applicable county or market area, so buyers should verify the limits for the location where they plan to purchase.
💵 Florida Hometown Heroes Income Limits
Having an eligible occupation does not automatically mean a borrower qualifies for the program.
Hometown Heroes is also an income-qualified homebuyer program. Florida Housing publishes program income and mortgage limits that can vary by county or applicable geographic area.
For this reason, a nurse purchasing in Miami-Dade County may have a different applicable income threshold than a teacher purchasing in Marion County or a firefighter buying in Duval County.
Buyers should verify the current limit for their county before making an offer on a home. Please use the HTH income lookup tool below.
🔑 First-Time Homebuyer Requirements
The Florida Hometown Heroes Program primarily serves eligible first-time homebuyers.
In mortgage programs, the term “first-time homebuyer” does not always mean someone who has literally never owned real estate.
Specific definitions and possible exceptions can apply, particularly for some military borrowers.
Because these rules can affect eligibility significantly, prospective buyers should verify their individual first-time buyer status with a lender participating in Florida Housing programs.
📋 You’ll Still Need to Qualify for the Mortgage
The $35,000 Hometown Heroes benefit does not eliminate normal mortgage underwriting requirements.
Homebuyers still need to qualify for the underlying FHA, VA, USDA or conventional mortgage. We will generally review items such as:
- Credit history
- Credit score
- Employment
- Income
- Existing monthly debts
- Debt-to-income ratio
- Assets
- Property eligibility
- Occupancy
- Program income limits
- Mortgage loan limits
The property generally must be purchased as the borrower’s primary residence rather than an investment property or vacation home.
💡 Why Hometown Heroes Can Be So Valuable
Saving the initial cash required to purchase a home is often one of the largest obstacles facing first-time buyers.
A buyer may earn enough money to comfortably make the mortgage payment but still struggle to accumulate tens of thousands of dollars for:
- Down payment
- Closing costs
- Prepaid homeowners insurance
- Property taxes
- Escrow deposits
- Other home-purchase expenses
Hometown Heroes addresses this cash-to-close obstacle directly. A buyer who would otherwise need another year or two to accumulate savings may be able to purchase sooner if they meet all of the program requirements.
⏰ Why Buyers Should Get Approved Before Shopping for a Home
One of the smartest steps an interested homebuyer can take is determining eligibility before beginning an aggressive home search.
A participating lender can review:
- Your occupation
- Your employer
- Full-time employment status
- Household or qualifying income
- Credit
- Existing debts
- First-time buyer status
- County income limit
- Maximum purchase price or loan amount
- Estimated Hometown Heroes assistance
This gives the buyer a much clearer picture of what they can afford and approximately how much cash may be required at closing.
It also helps prevent a buyer from finding the perfect property only to discover afterward that their occupation, income or loan structure does not meet the program requirements.
❓ What If My Exact Job Isn’t on the Hometown Heroes List?
Do not automatically assume you’re ineligible simply because your precise job title isn’t shown in an online list. Florida Housing describes many of its published occupations as examples, and employer type can be a major part of determining whether a worker falls within an eligible category.
For example, the school employee category includes much more than classroom teachers.
Healthcare eligibility extends well beyond registered nurses.
Public safety employment extends beyond traditional police officers.
Childcare eligibility can include workers throughout an eligible childcare facility.
If you’re uncertain, the best approach is to have your occupation and employer reviewed by us. Buyers can also connect with us below to learn about other 100% down payment assistance programs available without occupation requirements.
❓Frequently Asked Questions About Florida Hometown Heroes
How much assistance can I receive?
Qualified buyers can receive 5% of the first mortgage amount, with a minimum of $10,000 and maximum of $35,000.
Do teachers qualify for Florida Hometown Heroes?
Yes. Eligible full-time employees of Florida K-12 public, private, charter and magnet schools can qualify, subject to all other program requirements. This can include teachers as well as certain other school staff.
Do nurses qualify?
Yes. Registered nurses, LPNs, APRNs, CNAs and several other nursing occupations are included among Florida Housing’s examples of eligible healthcare workers.
Do police officers qualify?
Qualifying full-time sworn law enforcement officers employed by eligible Florida-based law enforcement agencies are included.
Do firefighters qualify?
Yes. Firefighters are included within the first-responder category.
Can a medical assistant qualify?
Medical assistants are among the healthcare occupations identified in Florida Housing’s eligibility guidance.
My job is not eligible for Hometown Heroes, are there any alternative down payment assistance programs?
Yes, we offer a host of other 100% financing options that are not dependent on occupation. The FL Housing Standard Bond and Standard TBA are great DPA alternatives in case a borrower’s employer or occupation does not meet the HTH requirements.
Does Hometown Heroes have to be repaid?
Yes. The assistance is a 0% deferred second mortgage and is not forgivable. Repayment is generally triggered by sale, refinance, deed transfer or when the home is no longer the borrower’s primary residence.
Can Hometown Heroes be combined with an FHA loan?
Yes. Florida Housing lists FHA, VA, USDA/RD and conventional mortgages among the available first-mortgage options.
Is Hometown Heroes available for investment properties?
No. The program is intended for qualified borrowers purchasing a home they will occupy as their primary residence.
Is there still funding for the Hometown Heroes Program?
Yes! Funding is limited and first come, first serve. Please read about the latest funding updates here.
Buyers can also read more Hometown Heroes FAQ’s here.
✅ Florida Hometown Heroes Eligibility Recap
The Florida Hometown Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program can provide an exceptional opportunity for eligible Florida homebuyers who need assistance with upfront home-purchase costs.
Qualified borrowers may receive up to $35,000 toward down payment and closing costs, without a monthly payment on the deferred Hometown Heroes second mortgage.
For 2026, the primary eligible occupation groups include:
- Healthcare workers
- Teachers and K-12 school staff
- Firefighters, EMTs and paramedics
- Law enforcement and public safety employees
- Court employees
- Childcare workers
- Qualifying military servicemembers
- Florida National Guard and Reserve members
- Eligible veterans
The key is to remember that occupation eligibility is only one part of qualifying. Borrowers must also satisfy the applicable income limits, mortgage guidelines, first-time homebuyer rules, property requirements and other Florida Housing guidelines.
With assistance ranging from $10,000 to $35,000, the program may significantly reduce the amount of money needed upfront and make homeownership more attainable for the Floridians who serve their communities every day.
Questions? Ready to get started? Connect with a specialist 7 days a week by submitting the quick Info Request Form below.
About the author: Frank Hernandez is a mortgage professional with over 21 years of hands-on experience in the home financing industry. Throughout his career, he developed extensive knowledge of government-backed mortgage programs, including USDA rural housing and down payment assistance programs. Today, Frank draws on that experience to create accurate, easy-to-understand mortgage content that helps homebuyers learn about loan requirements, financing options, and the path to homeownership.