Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program

What is Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program is a deferred second loan for homebuyers in Statewide, Ohio.

• Ohio Heroes is OHFA's workforce DPA / interest-rate-discount program for public-service workers including veterans, active-duty military, reservists, police, firefighters, EMTs/paramedics, teachers/school staff, and healthcare workers. Eligible borrowers receive a discounted first-mortgage interest rate plus 2.5% or 5% of the purchase price as a 0% interest deferred second mortgage, fully forgiven after 7 years.
• Ohio Heroes recognizes public-service workers - veterans, active-duty military, reservists/National Guard, police officers, firefighters, EMT/paramedics, K-12 teachers and school district administrators/professional staff, and healthcare workers (physicians, nurses, STNAs, etc.) - by offering a discounted first-mortgage interest rate (typically 0.25% below standard OHFA Your Choice! rate) PLUS down payment assistance of either 2.5% or 5% of the home's purchase price. The DPA is structured as a 0% interest, deferred second-mortgage loan that is 100% forgiven after the borrower stays in the home for 7 years. The combination of reduced first-mortgage rate plus DPA produces materially lower lifetime payments for qualifying public-service borrowers.
• Funding comes from Tax-exempt Mortgage Revenue Bonds and other OHFA capital sources.

How much assistance does it provide?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program provides assistance worth 2.5% of the purchase price, as set by the program.

• Buyer contribution: No OHFA-imposed minimum borrower contribution; loan-product overlays apply.
• Amounts are the program's published maximums, not an offer — the administering agency determines any individual award.

Do you have to pay it back?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program is deferred, so no payments are due until the home is sold, refinanced, or the first mortgage is paid off.

• Repayment is triggered by Full balance due if home is sold, refinanced (without subordination), title transferred, or no longer occupied as principal residence within 7 years and lien fully forgiven at end of year 7.
• The assistance is recorded in 2nd Lien position.
• Forgiveness and repayment terms are set by the program and can change — confirm them on the official program page before applying.

Who qualifies?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program is open to first-time homebuyers and buyers who will live in the home as their primary residence.

What are the income limits?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program limits household income to $179,480.

• Area median income figures are published by HUD and updated annually, so check the current table for the county before relying on a number.

What kind of home can it be used for?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program caps the purchase price at $1.4M.

• Eligible property types include Single-family detached, condominiums, townhomes, 1-unit owner-occupied, eligible manufactured homes (permanently affixed), and 2-unit allowed only in target areas if 5+ years old.
• New construction is eligible.
• Manufactured homes are eligible.

Is there eligibility for specific groups?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program names veterans, active-duty service members, reservists and National Guard members, surviving spouses, American Indian and Alaska Native buyers, educators, law enforcement officers, firefighters, healthcare workers, and buyers with disabilities among the groups it serves.

• Being named here means the program mentions the group, not that membership alone qualifies an applicant — the rest of the eligibility rules still apply.

Where does it apply?

Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program serves buyers purchasing in Statewide, Ohio.

• The program targets specific areas: Federal target areas (qualified census tracts) in Ohio where the FTHB requirement is waived and higher income/purchase-price limits apply.

How do you apply?

Applications for Ohio Heroes Down Payment Assistance Program go through the administering agency, which publishes the current terms and the application steps on its own site.

1. 1

   Take a homebuyer education course

   Required by the program, through Free Streamlined Homebuyer Education from OHFA online (eHome America-powered) required prior to closing; HUD-approved counseling agencies also accepted.

2. 2

   Contact the administering agency to reserve funds

   Funds are reserved through Lender reserves rate, first-mortgage funds, and DPA via OHFA's Lender Online portal on a first-come, first-served basis, and are subject to availability.

3. 3

   Work with a lender who handles the program

   Hey Prescott is not a lender and does not accept applications; this page describes the program so a buyer can take it to a lender or housing counselor.