Individual Assistance and Availability

SHIP Purchase Assistance Program

This program provides interest-free loans up to $60,000 to assist qualifying first-time homebuyer(s) with both down payment and closing cost expenses.

Assistance can be used only with single-family homes, townhomes and condominium units located within unincorporated Collier County, City of Naples, City of Marco and Everglades City.

The SHIP loan is a 30 year deferred payment loan (no payment, no interest) secured by a promissory note and second mortgage executed by the homebuyers to Collier County. The maximum sales price cannot exceed 90% of the average area sales price established by the US Treasury Department and published annually ($685,786 currently).

Qualifications:

• Must complete a Homebuyer Education Course from an approved HUD agency;
• Must be pre-qualified for a first mortgage loan;
• Household income must be within the income limits established by the program;
• Borrower cannot have had the following within the last three years: foreclosure, bankruptcy, federal/State tax lien, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure and proof of legal residency is required; and,
• Debt-to-income ratio: 32% front end, 45% back end.
• SHIP Application

Any questions, please email wendy.klopf@colliercountyfl.gov.

To apply for Homebuyer Education courses, contact Housing, Education and Lending Programs (HELP) at 239-434-2397 or visit floridahelp.org for more information.

HOME Purchasing/Down Payment Assistance Program

BEGINNING NOVEMBER 17, 2022, THE HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) can provide down payment and closing cost assistance to eligible first-time homebuyers interested in purchasing a home in Collier County, as long as the maximum purchase price does not exceed $408,000. Homebuyers must also meet the following:

• Complete a HOME Purchasing Assistance Application: HOME Application;
• Complete a county approved HUD certified Homebuyer Education Workshop (through the Housing, Education and Lending Programs organization / HELP);
• Must be pre-qualified for a first mortgage;
• Must be a first-time homebuyer as defined by an individual and his or her spouse who have not owned a home during the three-year period prior to purchase of a home. The term first-time homebuyer also includes an individual who is a displaced homemaker or single parent;
• Occupy the home being purchased as their primary residence during the term of the loan’s affordability period;
• Household income must be within the limits established by the program.

If approved, applicants may be eligible for assistance towards down payment and closing costs for the purchase of a home located within Collier County. The HOME award will be dependent on income level, the amount of subsidy needed to bring the purchase within the acceptable debt-to-income (DTI) limits and funds available. Funds are available on a first-come, first-qualified basis, upon funding availability, for first-time homebuyers who meet the program requirements.

Award amount can change if more than one funding source is used to assist with the purchase of the home.

Additional Facts:

• Funds will be issued as a zero interest, deferred payment loan, which does not require monthly payments;
• The HOME loan is payable and due upon sale or transfer of property. If the borrower(s) continue to maintain the assisted property as their primary residence, no repayment is required;
• No repayment is due if sold after the designated affordability period;
• Affordability periods vary depending on amount of assistance.

Any questions, please email Adrienne.Meijer@colliercountyfl.gov.

The Housing, Education and Lending Programs (HELP) is proud to offer free workshops to provide the public with a better understanding of the home-buying process.

The Homebuyer Education Workshop focuses on how real estate transactions work, qualifications for homebuyer financing, and the responsibilities of home ownership.

For more information, or to sign up, visit HELP.

This program provides interest-free, deferred loans up to $50,000 to assist eligible homeowners in unincorporated Collier County, the City of Naples, the City of Marco Island, or Everglades City with rehabilitation or repair of their single-family homes, townhomes or condominium units. Mobile homes built prior to July 13, 1994 do not qualify for assistance.

The rehabilitated property value cannot exceed 90% of the assessed value as determined by the Collier County Property Appraiser’s Office, including after repairs.

A SHIP 15-year deferred payment loan (no payment, no interest) is secured by a promissory note secured by a second mortgage and is payable to Collier County. If you rent your home, sell your home, refinance your home, or lose your homestead exemption, repayment will be required. One-third of the loan is forgiven every five years.

Applicant shall:

• Own or have a mortgage for at least twelve months;
• Meet household income requirements established by the program;
• Produce proof of mortgage or deed as well as legal residency or citizenship status; and,
• Be current on your mortgage payments and not have had more than one late payment in the past 12 months.

To apply for assistance, call 239-252-2339 or e-mail Lisa.Carr@colliercountyfl.gov.

HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) permits Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) to create flexible programs that provide assistance to individual households to help them afford the housing costs of market-rate units. These programs are known as “tenant-based rental assistance,” or TBRA. HOME TBRA programs differ from other types of HOME rental housing activities in three key ways:

• TBRA programs help individual households, rather than subsidizing particular rental projects;
• TBRA assistance moves with the tenant – if the household no longer wishes to rent a particular unit, the household may take its TBRA and move to another rental property; and,
• The level of TBRA subsidy varies – the level of subsidy is based upon the income of the household, the particular unit the household selects, and the PJs rent standard (rather than being tied to the PJs high and low HOME rents).

There are many different types of TBRA programs, but the most common type provides payments to make up the difference between the amount a household can afford to pay for housing and the local rent standards. Other TBRA programs help tenants pay for costs associated with their housing, such as security and utility deposits.

For more information about TBRA programs, please contact the Collier County Housing Authority at (239) 732-0732 or info@cchafl.org.