First Responders’ Time To Own Program Will Provide up to $25,000 in Forgivable Down Payment and Closing Cost Assistance
[Download flyer for the First Responders’ Time To Own program]
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Ned Lamont today announced that his administration is launching a new homeownership assistance program that will make it easier for Connecticut first responders to purchase a home through expanded eligibility, reduced interest rates, and more flexible program requirements.
Administered by the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority (CHFA) in partnership with the Connecticut Department of Housing, the First Responders’ Time to Own program will provide eligible state and local police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical service personnel with up to $25,000 in forgivable down payment and closing cost assistance. It officially launches on November 16, 2026.
“Connecticut’s police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel dedicate themselves to protecting our families and communities, and we want to make sure they have the opportunity to build their own futures here,” Governor Lamont said. “By helping reduce one of the biggest barriers to buying a home, we’re investing in the people who serve our state and the communities that depend on them.”
The program is being established as a component of Public Act 26-12, a comprehensive bill the Connecticut General Assembly adopted and Governor Lamont signed into law this year that increases several job benefits available to first responders with the goal of encouraging more individuals to seek careers in these important public safety fields and help retain those who are already serving. The legislation was collaboratively written by Governor Lamont and the leadership of the legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee and the Labor and Public Employees Committee.
“The people who protect and serve our communities should be able to afford to live in those communities, and this program with help them do it,” Comptroller Sean Scanlon said. “Helping the people who put their lives on the line for us every day buy their first home is literally the least we can do, and I’m proud to have worked with Governor Lamont and legislature to make this a reality.”
Building on the state’s successful Time to Own program, the First Responders’ Time to Own program will be available to eligible first responders with at least two years of service, including certified police officers, career and volunteer firefighters, and licensed or certified emergency medical service personnel. To qualify, applicants must purchase a home in the community where they serve and use it as their primary residence. The program offers greater flexibility than the standard Time to Own Program, eliminating the three-year continuous Connecticut residency requirement and minimum housing expense ratio requirements, and using CHFA’s mortgage program income limits to determine eligibility rather than the current cap of 100% of area median income for the Time to Own program. Eligible homebuyers will also receive a 0.125 percentage point reduction in the interest rate on their CHFA first mortgage.
“Access to affordable homeownership is an important part of building strong, stable communities,” Connecticut Housing Commissioner Seila Mosquera-Bruno said. “This program recognizes the commitment of our first responders while helping them establish roots in the communities they serve. It’s another way we’re working to make Connecticut a place where more people can afford to live, work, and build a future.”
“Homeownership offers more than a place to live. It creates stability, strengthens connections to community, and provides an opportunity to build wealth over time,” CHFA CEO and Executive Director Nandini Natarajan said. “Through First Responders’ Time to Own, we’re helping the people who answer the call for our communities take an important step toward achieving their own homeownership goals.”
In addition to this homeownership assistance program, additional components of Public Act 26-12 that increase job benefits to Connecticut’s first responders include those related to college tuition reimbursement and health coverage.
To learn more about the First Responders’ Time to Own program and receive updates on its availability, visit www.chfa.org/homebuyers-homeowners/homebuyers/first-responders.