JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Funding is now available for the Florida Hometown Heroes program. 50 million dollars are now available to provide eligible first time home buyers with money for their down payment and closing costs. 

The program is available to most full time employed health care workers, school staff, child care, court staff and first responders who work for a Florida based company, along with military personnel and veterans. 

Last year the state allocated 100 million dollars to the project and local realtors say, they expect this year for the demand to be high and for the funds to go quickly. 

“It’s such a great program that everybody wants to take advantage of it,” said Cindy James, a realtor in Jacksonville. 

James sells homes all over Jacksonville but she loves helping people purchase a home through the Hometown Heroes program. 

“As a matter of fact, this house right here was a first responders,” said James. “He bought it two years ago. First time home buyer absolutely loved it. It had just been remodeled when he bought it. So it was like buying new and it was made possible because of the Hometown Heroes program.”

Qualified borrowers can get up to five percent of their total first mortgage loan amount to go towards a down payment and closing costs. And if you qualify, you can receive up to 35 thousand dollars. 

“So what you would have used to do your closing costs and your down payment, you can now put it towards your home,” said James. “And when you put it towards your home, guess what you’re doing? You’re increasing the value and the equity in that property.”

In addition to the being in a qualifying occupation, there are certain income thresholds you must meet as well which vary based upon county. 

“One of the biggest barriers to home ownership is actually the down payment,” said Tim Weisheyer, President of the Florida Realtors Association. “It’s the ability for individuals to save enough money over time to be able to afford to purchase a home and enter the housing market.”

Weisheyer says that unlike other housing assistance that is available, money set aside for Hometown Heroes can be recycled back into the community.

“When a homeowner receives a down payment assistance to the Hometown Heroes Housing program, when they sell the property, the down payment that they actually received from the state, which is basically a zero interest loan of sorts, that’s provided to them to access home ownership,” said Weisheyer. “That money then goes back into the Hometown Heroes housing program to then be used again to help another family another hometown hero.”