About the Housing and Financial Counseling Program

Mission Statement

St. Johns County Housing is responsible for the promotion, development, preservation and administration of affordable housing programs, initiatives and policies in St. Johns County. These programs are designed for Affordable Rentals, Home Ownership and Rehabilitation.

To achieve this mission, we will:

  • Provide Information and referral service.
  • Manage our funding resources efficiently, effectively and cooperatively.
  • Network with other agencies that share our goals to improve the quality of life for County Residents.
  • Educate the community about available affordable housing resources

Housing and Financial Counseling Program

Given the great need for homeownership assistance in St. Johns County we use all available state / federal homeownership assistance and subsidized loan programs in order to help as many income eligible individuals and families as possible.

This is a complicated process because programs have different guidelines and can be difficult to access. It takes skill to know which can be combined, how to get started, and whether you may need purchase assistance from more than one program.

To assist, the St. Johns County Housing & Community Development Division developed a comprehensive program called the St. Johns County Housing and Financial Counseling Program that brings all of the available resources and contacts together to help prospective home buyers.

The old familiar SHIP program has evolved from the only funding source locally available for homeownership purchase assistance to an additional source of assistance which may be partnered with other state or federal assistance on an as-needed basis.

For additional information mortgage resources and down payment assistance programs visit Mortgage Resources.

How Do I Get Started?

First Steps
Learn about the programs available through St. Johns County, how the home ownership program helps, program eligibility, affordability, and additional resources with the Homeownership Program Brochure.

Program Registration
The St. Johns County Housing and Financial Counseling Program is designed to provide education and guidance regarding the complexities of credit and homeownership. Getting started is easy.

Choose One of the following registration options:

  • Visit our Client Registration website**, create an account, and we’ll contact you to set up an appointment with a Counselor. (**Registration website cannot be viewed in Internet Explorer. Please use Chrome or Firefox.)
  • Complete the application included in the Registration Packet, save to your pc or mobile device, and submit using the SUBMIT button on the last page of the application.
  • Print and complete the application included in the Registration Packet, and mail to:
    Housing and Financial Counseling Program
    200 San Sebastian View, Suite 2300
    St. Augustine, FL 32084

Fees
Fee Disclosures* (Effective April 1, 2023)
Fees for Credit Report Pulls: $19.00 for one person, $38.00 for two people.
This fee will be charged each time your credit report is requested. All fees must be paid prior to the credit report being pulled. Fee Disclosures.

* St Johns County Housing and Financial Counseling charges a fee for the cost of a credit report pull. The fee is waived if the payment of such would constitute a hardship to the client; the client is being counseled for default/foreclosure prevention or for homeless counseling.

Contact
For more information, call the Housing & Community Development Office at (904) 827-6890.

We look forward to helping you realize your dream... homeownership.