---
title: "One-on-One Credit Counseling Before You Apply"
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source_url: "https://www.sjcfl.us/housing-and-financial-counseling-program/"
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summary: "St. Johns County Housing and Financial Counseling Program offers HUD-approved one-on-one credit counseling, homeownership education, and access to state and federal down payment assistance programs for eligible first-time homebuyers. The program coordinates housing professionals, lenders, and purchase assistance resources to guide residents through the home buying process, with scheduled education classes throughout 2026."
tags: "housing-counseling, homeownership, credit-counseling, hud-approved, down-payment-assistance, affordable-housing, first-time-homebuyers"
key_entities: "St. Johns County Housing and Community Development Division (organization), HUD (Housing and Urban Development) (organization), St. Johns County Health and Human Services (organization), SHIP Program (concept), St. Johns County (location), Housing and Financial Counseling Program (concept), Home Buyer Education Class Schedule 2026 (event)"
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# One-on-One Credit Counseling Before You Apply

Housing and Financial Counseling Program St Johns County Housing Counseling Program   is granted HUD (Housing and Urban Development) Approval as a certified Housing Counseling Program.  For the past several years St Johns County Health and Human Services has been moving forward to provide St Johns County residents the availability of housing and credit counseling based on HUD (Housing and Urban Development) standards. In December of 2018, the Department received this approval. Program Overview 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. What the Homeownership Program Does The St. Johns County Homeownership Programs has assembled a team of housing professionals to guide eligible first-time homebuyers through all phases of the home buying process. This comprehensive program provides the following services: One-on-one credit counseling for rebuilding or perfecting your credit history. Homeownership Education Affordability Consultation Referral to the most beneficial mortgage loan program for your individual situation. Access to all available State or Federal down payment / purchase assistance programs you are eligible for. The ability to access SHIP purchase assistance funds to partner or layer with other state or federal funds if needed.  (When available.) Coordinates interaction between the credit counselor, mortgage consultant, lender, purchase assistance programs, builder/developer or realtor and closing agent. Please contact a Housing Counselor for registration information: 904-209-6890 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 Urban Development Approved The St Johns County Housing Counseling Program is granted HUD (Housing and Urban Development) Approval as a certified Housing Counseling Program.  For the past several years St Johns County Health and Human Services has been moving forward to provide St Johns County residents with housing and credit counseling based on HUD (Housing and Urban Development) standards. In December of 2018, the Department received this approval.  If you would like more information on the program or to register, please contact our Housing Department at (904) 827-6890. Home Buyer Education Class Schedule (by invitation only) January 17, 2026 March 14, 2026 May 16, 2026 July 18, 2026 September 19, 2026 November 07, 2026 The class schedule runs from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM unless specified otherwise. Contact a Housing Counselor for invitation criteria at 904-209-6062 or 904-209-6146 We look forward to helping you realize your dream… homeownership. Eligibility Income limits Affordability Resources Get Started Eligibility Are You a First Time Homebuyer? Eligible applicants include individuals who don’t own their current home, don’t claim their mobile home as real property or have it homestead exempted, and haven’t owned a home within the past three years. Acceptable Credit History Acceptable does not mean that your credit must be perfect; however, you must be “credit worthy” to qualify for a home mortgage loan through the program’s lenders. The St. Johns County Homeownership program has credit counselors to help you in rebuilding or perfecting your credit. If you believe that you have not established a good payment history, have negative credit items or have not established any credit, all is not lost. We can counsel you on repairing your credit and help you get positioned to attend the next St. Johns County Homeownership Programs Orientation. Call a counselor today to get started 904-827-6890. Eligible Properties Property must be located in St. Johns County and be an owner-occupied single family residence. Program requirements vary — condos, town homes, existing homes and DCA approved modular homes are eligible under certain programs. Mobile homes, duplexes, etc. are not. Employment and Income Must have a minimum of two years continuous satisfactory employment history in the same field for one year immediately prior to application. This includes part-time as well as full-time job history. Income limits There are maximum income limits and sales price limits associated with the program. This means that in order to qualify for the program, your income must not exceed the program’s limits for income and the sales price of the home that you would like to purchase cannot exceed the program’s limits. Florida Housing Income Limit Link Affordability How Lenders Decide the Loan Amount You Can Afford The lender considers your debt-to-income ratio, which is a comparison of your gross (pre-tax) income to housing and nonhousing expenses. Non-housing expenses include debts such as car payments, student loan payments, alimony, or child support. According to the FHA, monthly mortgage payments should be no more than 29% of gross income, while the mortgage payment, combined with non-housing expenses, should total no more than 41% of your income. Different loan programs will naturally have different guidelines. The lender also considers cash available for down payment and closing costs, credit history, bill payment history, etc. when determining your maximum loan amount. Additionally, you may also want to estimate how much of a house payment you can afford to get a better idea of the loan amount you may need. If so, complete the How Much Can You Afford worksheet below. How Much Can YOU Afford Worksheet TOTAL GROSS MONTHLY INCOME (Monthly Gross Pay + Other Gross Monthly Income) $__________________ RATIOS AND DEBTS Total Gross Monthly Income x 29% (Housing ratio) $__________________ (2) Total Gross Monthly Income x 41% (Debt-to-income ratio) $__________________ (3) TOTAL MONTHLY DEBT PAYMENT (any installment debts with 10+ months remaining, such as credit cards, car payments, loan repayments, etc.) $__________________ (4) Subtract Line (4) from Line (3) $__________________ (5) MAXIMUM MORTGAGE LOAN PAYMENT ALLOWED (enter whatever is less, Line (2) or Line (5) $__________________ (6) Multiply Line (6) by 20% (Estimated taxes & insurance) $__________________ (7) Subtract Line (7) from Line (6) (Maximum principle & interest payment allowed) $__________________ (8) Divide Line (8) by a factor of 5.68 $__________________ (9) MAXIMUM MORTGAGE LOAN AMOUNT Multiply Line (9) by $1,000 $__________________ Resources Useful information regarding credit, mortgages, predatory lending, foreclosure prevention and other housing-related issues can be found using the resources below. Button List --> Fannie Mae U.S.D.A. Rural Development Florida Housing Finance Corp. Florida Housing Coalition Freddie Mac U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development Get Started First Steps To learn about the programs available through St. Johns County, how the home ownership program helps, program eligibility, affordability, and additional resources, contact a Housing Counselor to make an appointment at 904-209-6062 or 904-209-6146 . 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. Contact a Housing Counselor to make an appointment at 904-209-6062 or 904-209-6146 . The Housing Counselor will provide you by email a list of documents required and an application to bring with you for the first meeting. The Housing Counselor may ask you to bring a Money Order or Cashier’s Check for the first appointment, made payable to St Johns County Housing and Community Development for $25.00 per adult applicant. This fee will be charged each time your credit report is requested. All payments must be paid prior to the report being pulled. Personal checks or Cash will not be accepted. Fee Disclosures Credit Report Pull Effective January 01, 2026 Fees for Credit Report Pulls: $25.00 for one person, $50.00 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. * 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. Home Buyer Educational Materials/Textbook Effective February 01, 2026 Fees for Home Buyer Education Materials (Textbook): $25.00 for one person, $50.00 for two people. This fee must be paid prior to attending a Homebuyer Education Class. * St Johns County Housing and Financial Counseling charges a fee for the cost of materials (Textbooks) for the Homebuyer Education Class for participants not living in St Johns County. Contact Yvonne Coffman HUD Certified Housing Counselor T: 904-209-6146 ycoffman@sjcfl.us Rory Evans Housing Counselor T: (904) 209-6062 rbevans@sjcfl.us Dept. Contact Email: Housing@sjcfl.us (904) 827-6890 200 San Sebastian View St. Augustine, FL 32084