The Louisiana down payment assistance guide
Program and regulatory figures verified October 5, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
Everything on this site in one place, in the order a Louisiana buyer meets it. Every figure carries the LHC document it came from and the date we read it.
Start with the rename, because nothing else makes sense without it
On 09/09/2026 the Louisiana Housing Corporation renamed all four of its homeownership programmes under a new umbrella brand, Louisiana Home Starts Here.
| Now | Formerly |
|---|---|
| HomeStart Assist | MRB Assisted |
| HomeStart Advantage | Keys for Service |
| HomeStart Plus | Pathways |
| HomeStart Ready | Premier |
That was five weeks before this page was written, and one of the four changed substantively at the same time. The dated evidence.
What is on offer
| Programme | Assistance | Forgiven | First-time? | Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assist | 4% of the first mortgage | 60 months | Yes* | 115/140% AMI, 80% conventional |
| Advantage | 4% of the first mortgage | 60 months | No | $125,000 |
| Plus | 20% / $55,000 + $5,000 | 1/120 monthly | Yes | 80% HUD AMI |
| Ready | None | — | No | $99,000 |
* Waived in targeted areas and for eligible veterans. Each in full.
The biggest number, and where it reaches
HomeStart Plus is disaster-recovery money and pays more than anything else we work with: up to 20% of the purchase price capped at $55,000, plus a $5,000 closing grant, forgiven at 1/120 a month over ten years.
It covers 47 of Louisiana's 64 parishes — the union of the Hurricane Laura, Delta and Ida declarations — including Orleans and East Baton Rouge. The parish list.
It also carries the strictest conditions on this site: a minimum front-end ratio, no Special Flood Hazard Area properties, a two-week LHC environmental review, and a cap on what you may keep in the bank after closing. All of them.
Will you qualify?
Credit first. 640 on every programme, 660 for manufactured homes, and all three credit scores on Plus. The ratio rules too.
Then income, and which test applies depends on the programme — and on Assist, on whether the loan is government or conventional. The four tests.
Then ownership history, but only on two of the four. The waivers.
Then the property — owner-occupied, and on Plus, outside a flood zone and through an environmental review. The full checklist.
What happens to the money
Louisiana forgives, which its neighbours do not. Assist and Advantage clear the entire balance at 60 months; Plus burns down 1/120 a month over ten years. All three carry zero interest, and all three make forgiveness conditional on maintaining occupancy.
On HomeStart Assist there is a second, longer clock: federal recapture tax on a sale within nine years, if income and gain conditions are also met. Forgiveness · Recapture.
The two parish authorities
Louisiana is unusual in having approved parish-level operators as well as the state agency. CAFA serves the Baton Rouge area and lists a 620 minimum FICO on two programmes — below LHC's floor — and can put assistance toward PMI. JPFA runs Comfort of Home in Jefferson Parish, paying up to 4% forgiven after ten years.
Where you are buying genuinely changes the answer. New Orleans · Baton Rouge.
Why every figure carries a date
Because this state proves the point. Five weeks ago every programme on this page had a different name; a guide written in August would be wrong today in four places.
Programme terms here come from the LHC Single Family Lenders' Guide published 09/10/26 and the programme pages read 2026-10-05. Purchase price limits are Exhibit N1, effective May 4, 2026. Where two current LHC sources disagree — and on homebuyer education they do — we publish both and say so. How we source this.
Frequently asked questions
How does down payment assistance work in Louisiana?
The Louisiana Housing Corporation pairs a 30-year fixed first mortgage with a zero-interest forgivable second. HomeStart Assist and HomeStart Advantage each provide 4% of the first mortgage, forgiven entirely at 60 months. HomeStart Plus provides up to 20% of the purchase price capped at $55,000 plus $5,000 in closing costs, forgiven at 1/120 monthly over ten years.How much down payment assistance can I get in Louisiana?
4% of the first mortgage on HomeStart Assist or HomeStart Advantage, or up to 20% of the purchase price capped at $55,000 plus a $5,000 closing cost grant on HomeStart Plus, which covers 47 of Louisiana's 64 parishes.What were the Louisiana HomeStart programs called before?
HomeStart Assist was MRB Assisted, HomeStart Advantage was Keys for Service, HomeStart Plus was Pathways and HomeStart Ready was Premier. All four were renamed on 09/09/2026 under the umbrella brand Louisiana Home Starts Here.Is Louisiana down payment assistance a grant?
It is a zero-interest forgivable second mortgage rather than a grant, except for the $5,000 closing cost assistance under HomeStart Plus, which LHC describes as a grant. Forgiveness is conditional on maintaining occupancy and on no repayment event occurring.Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal or tax advice. Louisiana Housing Corporation programme terms, income limits and purchase price limits are set by LHC and change; figures here carry the date we verified them against LHC's published documents. LHC assistance is a zero-interest forgivable second mortgage, forgiven only if occupancy and programme requirements are maintained. Federal recapture tax may apply on HomeStart Assist bond loans; consult a tax advisor. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.