Down Payment Assistance in Palm Beach County: Hometown Heroes and the County Program
Up to $35,000 from the Florida Hometown Heroes Housing Program, plus Palm Beach County's own county assistance. Income limit here: $192,750.
Hometown Heroes › County Housing Programs › Palm Beach County
Palm Beach County home buyers who serve their community, from nurses in West Palm Beach to deputies and teachers across the county, can look at two kinds of help: the state's Hometown Heroes program and the county's own down payment assistance.
Palm Beach County's income limit of $192,750 ranks 3 of 67 Florida counties. Palm Beach County's FHA loan ceiling is $667,000; a first mortgage that size would draw $33,350 under the 5% rule.
Income limit (FHA / VA / HFA)
$192,750
Income limit (USDA)
$134,400
Max loan, FHA
$667,000
Max loan, HFA / VA
$832,750
Hometown Heroes help
5% of first mortgage, $10,000 to $35,000
County seat
West Palm Beach
Income limits: TBA funding option, effective May 6, 2026. Loan limits effective Jan 2, 2026. Source: Florida Housing Finance Corporation Hometown Heroes lender guide. Bond-funded limits may differ.
Two sources of down payment help in Palm Beach County
Florida Hometown Heroes (state)
Statewide and run by Florida Housing Finance Corporation. You borrow 5% of the first mortgage at 0% interest, make no payments, and repay the whole balance later, when you sell or refinance. It is never forgiven, and money is reserved first come, first served. Read the full Hometown Heroes guide.
Palm Beach County local assistance (SHIP-funded)
Palm Beach County's local program is funded by the state SHIP trust fund but run by the county. Its rules, including income limits, award size and repayment, come from the county's Local Housing Assistance Plan and can change when new funding years open.
Palm Beach County government website · Florida Housing SHIP local contacts
Whether the two can be combined depends on both programs' rules at the time you apply. A participating lender confirms before funds are reserved.
Hometown Heroes jobs in Palm Beach County
Eligibility starts with your job: full-time work for a Florida-based employer in an approved occupation. Teachers and school staff (Palm Beach schools), sheriff's deputies and corrections staff (Palm Beach Sheriff), nurses, paramedics and childcare workers in Palm Beach County are among the eligible groups.
We have dedicated mortgage guides for many of these jobs:
- Healthcare: mortgage options for physicians and doctors
- Healthcare: mortgage options for nurses and medical professionals
- Public safety: mortgage options for corrections officers
- Public safety: mortgage options for police officers
- First responders: mortgage options for firefighters
- First responders: mortgage options for EMTs and paramedics
- Education: mortgage options for teachers and school staff
- Military: mortgage options for active-duty military and veterans
Homes that qualify in Palm Beach County
There is no neighborhood restriction inside Palm Beach County: West Palm Beach, Belle Glade, Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Canal Point, Delray Beach, Greenacres and unincorporated areas all qualify. It has to be your primary residence, and manufactured homes must be 1994 or newer.
Some Palm Beach County addresses are USDA-eligible. There, a zero-down USDA loan plus Hometown Heroes can cover most of the cash needed at closing, with a $134,400 USDA income limit.
Check property records and taxes with the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser.
Palm Beach County housing news
- A 'whole new idea' is taking shape for Palm Beach County's Agricultural Reserve (Sun Sentinel, Oct 5, 2026)
- 3 Ag Reserve projects fuel growth concerns among western Delray Beach residents (WPTV, Oct 5, 2026)
- 13th Floor sells Palm Beach County rental community for $33M (The Business Journals, Oct 5, 2026)
- Palm Beach $10M+ home sales hit record pace (keysnews.com, Oct 1, 2026)
Updated Oct 6, 2026.
Palm Beach County Hometown Heroes questions
How much can I earn and still qualify for Hometown Heroes in Palm Beach County?
For FHA, VA and conventional HFA loans, the 2026 Hometown Heroes income limit in Palm Beach County is $192,750 (TBA funding, effective May 6, 2026). For USDA loans it is $134,400. Under the TBA option, only the income of borrowers on the loan is counted, not the whole household.
Is Hometown Heroes in Palm Beach County a grant?
It is not a grant. Hometown Heroes is a 0% interest, deferred second mortgage with no monthly payment. It is repaid in full on sale, transfer of deed, satisfaction of first mortgage, refinance of first mortgage, or if the home stops being your primary residence. Local programs funded through Palm Beach County's SHIP allocation can be structured differently, which is why it pays to compare both.
Is there a Palm Beach County housing program separate from Hometown Heroes?
Yes. Every Florida county, including Palm Beach County, receives state SHIP (State Housing Initiatives Partnership) funds, a minimum of $350,000 a year, and can use them for down payment and closing cost help. Palm Beach County sets its own income caps, amounts and repayment terms in its Local Housing Assistance Plan, and funding windows vary.
How much Hometown Heroes help can I get buying in West Palm Beach or elsewhere in Palm Beach County?
Assistance is 5% of your first mortgage amount, with a minimum of $10,000 and a maximum of $35,000. Palm Beach County's FHA loan ceiling is $667,000; a first mortgage that size would draw $33,350 under the 5% rule.
How do I start a Hometown Heroes application in Palm Beach County?
Hometown Heroes is reserved through Florida Housing–approved participating lenders, first come, first served. Stairway Mortgage (Jim Blackburn, NMLS #1072866) can review your occupation, income against the Palm Beach County limit, and whether Palm Beach County's local program fits alongside it.
Jim Blackburn, NMLS #1072866 · Stairway Mortgage. Program terms, limits and funding availability are set by Florida Housing Finance Corporation and Palm Beach County and can change. Estimates are not a commitment to lend. Equal Housing Opportunity.