About the Program

Introduction

The Armed Forces Home Buyers Assistance Program (AFHBAP) was created in 2024 to lessen the burdensome upfront costs of buying a home for our military families and veterans living in Utah.

As of 2022, the number of Utah Veterans owning a home was only about 7.4% or roughly 76,906 homes.   A recent study by the Rand Institute asked service members and veterans why they choose not to buy a house in Utah. Over 50% responded that the main reason was the upfront costs and down payment funds required of them to purchase a home in Utah.

Utah Legislation enacted the Utah Veterans First time Home Buyers grant and imposes restrictions on the eligibility requirements of veterans’ awards to 5 years of discharge and not have purchased a home in Utah in the preceding 7 years.  These limits constrict the average military family who has purchased a house and desire to sell and buy a different home in Utah that is better suited for their family needs over time. The military family or veteran has no assistance for such type of adjustment in living standards.

The AFHBAP’s goal is to increase the opportunity for more military families and veterans with at least 90 days of Active duty service to receive a housing assistance grant award of $2,500.00 to be used towards down payment and closing costs to purchase a home in Utah without the first-time home buyer restrictions of the State funded Utah Veterans Grant.

Mission

“Thank you for your service, how can I help?” The primary mission of the Armed Forces Home Buyer’s Assistance Program is to provide home buyer’s assistance grant funds to all eligible military active and reserve or honorably discharged veterans to alleviate some burdens to upfront cost associated with buying a home in Utah.

Vision

Armed Forces Home Buyers Assistance Program strives to increase Utah’s veteran’s home ownership by:

  • Increase  local partnerships with veterans non-profit 501- (c) 3 organizations
  • Increasing the current 7.4% or 76,906 veteran home owners in Utah to 8% or 83,058 veteran home owners within 3-5 years.
  • Putting more money in the veterans’ pockets for needed repairs or to buy needed home furnishings or school supplies for their children.
    • 20 grant fund expended  first year goal ($50,000)
    • 40 grant funds expended second year goal ($100,000)
    • 100 grant funds expended subsequent years ($250,000)
  • The AFHBAP desires to make Utah more of a Veteran friendly state and grow the Utah veteran’s population by 2380 over the next 3-5 years from its current 140,000 veterans, which is about 4.5% of the state’s population to 142,380 meet the national average of 6.2%
  • Increase the grant funding program to Sons and Daugheter’s of Veterans in Utah
  • Become a National grant funding program helping thousands of military men and women and veterans and their dependents obtain grant assistance for downpayment and colsing costs associated with purchasing a home..