Applications For Program To Help New Homeowners Now Open

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY - Long Island is notorious for its expensive homes, but Suffolk County is trying to make it a little easier for new homeowners buy one for themselves.

Officials announced on Monday that a program to help eligible homebuyers put money towards a home in Suffolk since 1993 is once again accepting applications.

Residents can now apply for the Suffolk County Down Payment Assistance Program to receive a grant for up to $14,000 to put towards a down payment for the purchase of a single-family residence.

Lee Ann MacDonald, a Suffolk County Police Officer was a program recipient and joined Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone to discuss her experience with the application process. The program helped her purchase her home in Medford.

"Being a single mom, two children, paycheck to paycheck, I didn't have the capabilities or the assets of putting thousands of dollars to the side," she told News12. "So without the program, I wouldn't have been able to do this at all."

This year, a total of 25 applications will be accepted based on total income and family size. The money will be provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

To date, Suffolk County has helped nearly 2,000 first-time homebuyers achieve their dream of owning a home.

Applications must be submitted by Dec. 31, 2019.

The program applies to homes within the Town of East Hampton, Village of Sag Harbor, the Town of Huntington, the Town of Riverhead, the Town of Shelter Island (excluding incorporated villages), the Town of Smithtown, Village of the Branch, the Town of Southampton, Sag Harbor, Southampton Village, Westhampton Beach, Westhampton Dunes and the Town of Southold.

The townships of Babylon, Islip and Brookhaven do not participate in the program.

For more information or to fill out an application, visit scdownpayment.com.