Two things are worth knowing before you read anything else about this program, because the site currently ranking highest for it gets both of them wrong.

The maximum is $25,000, not $50,000. And it is not a grant — it is a second mortgage you can be required to pay back. Everything below comes from the City of Jacksonville's own published materials, and we tell you the date on every figure so you know how current it is.

What the City Actually Offers

The Headstart to Homeownership Program — H2H — is run by the City of Jacksonville's Housing and Community Development Division. It provides up to $25,000 toward your down payment and closing costs on a home in Duval County.

As published in the city's most recent program flyer, dated April 2025:

  • Maximum assistance: $25,000
  • Maximum purchase price: $304,000 for a single-family home
  • Income limit: 80% of the Duval County area median income, by household size
  • Your minimum contribution: $500 plus the cost of a general home inspection

That purchase price cap is the number to watch. It was $327,000 the year before and dropped to $304,000 — a $23,000 cut in a single year. The city also resets its income limits around April 1 annually. Confirm both figures before you rely on them, either with us or directly with the city.

It Is Not a Grant — This Is the Part People Get Wrong

The city's flyer describes H2H assistance as a second or third mortgage at zero percent interest for ten years. If you sell the home or stop living in it as your primary residence before that ten-year term is up, you repay the city a prorated share of the balance.

You will find pages online calling this money "forgivable over fifteen years." That is not what the city publishes. The distinction is not academic — it decides whether a job transfer in year six costs you nothing or costs you thousands. If you are the kind of buyer who may move within a decade, run that math before you take the assistance.

Who Qualifies

The income limits below are the ones published in the city's April 2025 flyer, at 80% of Duval County area median income. These reset annually.

  • 1 person — $57,400
  • 2 people — $65,600
  • 3 people — $73,800
  • 4 people — $82,000
  • 5 people — $88,600
  • 6 people — $95,150
  • 7 people — $101,700
  • 8 people — $108,250

That is total gross household income — everyone in the house, not just the people on the loan.

On the first-time buyer question: the city's published wording is that you "must not currently own a home." That is a current-ownership test, and it is worth noting because most write-ups about this program assume the standard federal rule of not having owned in the past three years. The city's underwriting may apply a stricter standard in practice. If you owned a home within the last three years and sold it, ask before you assume either way.

You also have to live in the home as your primary residence, and the property has to be in Jacksonville or Duval County.

The Rules That Trip People Up

Do not sign a sales contract before you are approved. The city puts this in capital letters in its own materials, and it is the single most common way people lose this money. Get approved first, then go under contract. In a market where you feel pressure to move fast on a house, this is the rule that gets broken.

The house has to pass a Section 8 Housing Quality Standards inspection. Not an FHA appraisal — a separate HQS inspection, plus lead-based paint clearance on older homes. The seller is responsible for the repairs. On a competitive listing, a seller who does not want that hassle can simply take another offer, which is a real strategic consideration when you are choosing which houses to write on.

There is an eight-hour homebuyer education class. The city names three approved providers: GreenPath Financial Wellness, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, and Wealth Watchers, Inc. You take it after loan approval and before you sign a contract.

Mobile and manufactured homes are excluded. Single-family homes, townhomes, patio homes and condominiums are eligible, new construction or resale.

Funding is limited and runs out. The city notes the program is "subject to funding limitations," and local reporting has described these programs as closing quickly each year on high demand. Over five years H2H has funded 396 homes totaling roughly $12.8 million. Do not assume money is available today — confirm current status with the city's Housing Services Division at 904-255-8241.

How You Apply

You do not apply to the city directly. H2H requires you to go through a lender on the city's approved list, and that lender verifies your eligibility and coordinates with Housing Services.

The city no longer posts that list publicly. You request it — along with current terms, rates and program details — from Shanee Ealey, Housing Services Manager, at SEaley@coj.net or 904-255-8241. We are giving you that contact directly because you should be able to verify all of this yourself rather than taking any lender's word for it, ours included.

Call us and we will tell you straight where North Star stands on the current list, and — more usefully — whether H2H is actually your best route. Sometimes it is not.

When H2H Is Not the Right Program

H2H has a low income ceiling, a purchase price cap that has been falling, an inspection requirement that can cost you a house in a competitive offer, and a repayment obligation if you move within ten years. For a lot of buyers, something else fits better:

Florida Hometown Heroes — up to $35,000 as a zero-interest second mortgage with no monthly payment, covering more than fifty professions. Higher income limits than H2H and no city inspection requirement. Funding runs in rounds.

Florida Bond — down payment assistance paired with a state-backed first mortgage. We closed one of these recently with $10,000 in assistance.

VA and USDA financing — zero down, no assistance program required, nothing to pay back. If you or your spouse served, or the address is USDA-eligible, this usually beats any assistance program outright. More of Duval, Clay and Nassau qualifies for USDA than people expect.

FHA at 3.5% down — on a $250,000 home that is $8,750. If you have the down payment, going without an assistance program means no second mortgage, no repayment clause, no HQS inspection, and a cleaner offer.

Start with our first-time buyer guide for Jacksonville, or see all the down payment assistance options we work with.

H2H Questions We Get

Is the Jacksonville H2H program $25,000 or $50,000?

$25,000. The City of Jacksonville's Housing Services page and its program flyer both state up to $25,000, and independent local reporting in March 2026 confirmed the same figure. The $50,000 number circulating online comes from a third-party lead generation site operated by a mortgage company, not from the city.

Do I have to pay the H2H money back?

Possibly. The city structures it as a second or third mortgage at zero percent interest for ten years. If you sell the home or stop living in it as your primary residence before that term ends, you repay a prorated portion. It is not a grant, and it is not forgiven at fifteen years as some websites claim.

What is the income limit for H2H in Jacksonville?

80% of Duval County area median income. As published in the city's April 2025 flyer that was $57,400 for one person and $82,000 for a household of four. The city resets these figures annually around April 1, so confirm the current table before relying on it.

Can I use H2H on any house in Jacksonville?

It has to be in Jacksonville or Duval County, be your primary residence, fall under the purchase price cap, and pass a Section 8 Housing Quality Standards inspection with lead-based paint clearance. Mobile and manufactured homes are not eligible. Single-family homes, townhomes, patio homes and condominiums are, whether new construction or resale.

Can I put in an offer while I wait for H2H approval?

No, and this is where people lose the assistance. The city instructs applicants not to sign a sales contract before being approved. Get the approval first, then write offers.

Program details on this page are drawn from the City of Jacksonville's published materials as of September 2026, including a program flyer dated April 2025. Program terms, income limits, purchase price caps and funding availability change — verify current details with the City of Jacksonville Housing Services Division at 904-255-8241 before making decisions. North Star Mortgage Network, Inc. does not administer the H2H program and is not affiliated with the City of Jacksonville. All figures are estimates based on information provided and are not a commitment to lend. All loans subject to credit approval. North Star Mortgage Network, Inc., Company NMLS #356789 · Nathan Young NMLS #325206 · 12058 San Jose Blvd, Suite 404, Jacksonville, FL 32223 · 904-880-6741. Equal Housing Lender.