A Guide to Housing Grants in Palm Beach County

By Housing Nonprofit

What are housing grants?

Housing grants are designed to combat rising housing costs by providing funds for down payment, closing costs and even home improvements. When buying a home you typically need 20% of the total price as a down payment in order to secure a loan for the remainder. But coming up with the money up front can be challenging. That’s why housing grants exist to help home buyers overcome this hurdle and make home ownership accessible.

The State of Florida offers Housing Grants to make home ownership accessible to its residents across most of its registered cities and special assistance if you are willing to move into one of its unincorporated areas.

But how do you access housing grants to help you buy a home? That is where we come in.

Housing Nonprofit is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit with the very specific mission of connecting renters to Housing Grants to purchase a home. We do the work of maintaining all grants in a comprehensive database and provide a single form that allows you to check eligibility for all housing grants at once. The form takes about 2 minutes to fill out, there are no hard questions, and it’s absolutely free with no obligation to do anything else. This is a public service that is provided in accordance with our nonprofit mission statement. Try it for yourself and see what assistance is provided in the area you live or want to move to.

The amount of assistance you can receive towards purchasing a home varies based on the home, where you live, what you earn, and how early you apply for the grant.

What housing grants does Palm Beach County offer?

Some housing grants offered to purchase a home in Palm Beach County are as follows:

  1. Palm Beach County – Workforce Housing Program (WHP) – The purpose of the program is to provide​​ the workforce within Palm Beach County with the opportunity to purchase homes at below market prices. This grant offers up to $55,736 (27% of the Purchase Price) in down payment and closing cost assistance to those who qualify. Interested buyers must take part in a mandatory WHP introductory orientation.
  2. HUD Good Neighbor Next Door (GNND) Program – This grant offers up to 50% of the purchase price as assistance.
  3. Florida Housing Finance Corporation FL Assist – This grant offers up to $10,000 in down payment and closing costs.

To apply for all 28 eligible housing grants in Palm Beach County, take a few minutes to complete this form.

Who provides these funds?

Housing grant funds are primarily paid for by government agencies, private foundations, and local charities. However, there are plenty of housing grants offered by for profit organizations as well.

For example, the Palm Beach County Workforce Housing Program Grant is provided by Palm Beach County office of Housing and Economic Development which is a government agency. Borrowers who make substantially more money than the area’s median income are not eligible for this program. However, high earners may be eligible for assistance in the form of subsidized fees, closing costs, or various credits provided by lenders who want your business.

Who qualifies for housing grants?

Housing grants are generally designed for low to middle income first time home buyers. Those who exceed the area median income by more than 200% can still get housing grants in the form of subsidized fees, no closing costs, or various credits provided by lenders who want your business. Filling out the form will tell you exactly what programs fit your situation.

It’s important to note that even if you used to own a home but have not owned a primary residence for more than 3 years, you may be eligible for first time home buyer housing grants.

Many housing grants are geography based and are available to home buyers residing in specific counties.

Nearly all grants have some application and verification process along with a requirement to take a homebuyer education course.

Eligibility may also be determined by your household income & credit history.

How to find housing grants to buy your home?

Housing Nonprofit is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit with the specific mission of connecting renters with housing grants to help them purchase a home. We maintain a central up-to-date database of housing grants along with the eligibility criteria to make this easily accessible for anyone across the country. Based on the information you provide, we match you with the housing grants that you qualify for and help you secure funds to purchase a home.

Other sources for Housing Grants include the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) which maintains a semi-complete list of programs, listed by state, county, and city. This list is rather limited and does not include all housing grants from other government entities, nonprofits, and private institutions. Nor will these be updated as frequently as the database provided by Housing Nonprofit. Additionally, it leaves it up to the user to research the eligibility criteria which can make the process difficult. These circumstances are the very reason Housing Nonprofit was founded to make the process easier for anyone seeking to participate in Housing Grant programs.

How long does it take?

As soon as you submit the form and schedule a call, we will email you the results of the housing grants that you qualify for. On our scheduled call, we’ll work together to identify the housing grant or combination of grants that best suits your specific needs. We’ll help address any questions or concerns you may have, and check off any requirements to obtain the funds. Grants are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, so taking action today does increase your chances of accessing the funds.