Connecticut will begin offering up to $25,000 in down-payment and closing-cost assistance to eligible first responders on Monday, November 16. The Connecticut Housing Finance Authority will run the program with the state Department of Housing.
The state says certified police officers, career and volunteer firefighters, and licensed or certified EMS personnel can qualify after at least two years of eligible service. The property must be their primary home in a community they serve. CHFA applies income and purchase-price limits. In most areas, applicants must be buying their first home or have gone at least three years without owning one.
The assistance comes as a zero-interest loan with no monthly payments. CHFA forgives it in annual installments over ten years. Eligible borrowers also receive a 0.125-percentage-point reduction on their CHFA first mortgage, the governor’s office said.
Applicants start with a participating lender and must complete a first-responder certification form and a free homebuyer education class. CHFA’s first-responder program page has the rules and application information.