Disability down payment assistance comes from three main places: state housing finance agencies that run programs specifically for disabled buyers and their caregivers, the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans with service-connected disabilities, and a smaller set of nonprofits and federal rural programs. Awards range from about $10,000 to nearly $110,000 in state programs, and up to $126,526 in VA grants that never have to be repaid. According to Down Payment Resource, at least 23 programs across the country are built specifically for people with disabilities and their family caregivers, and more than half can be combined with other homebuyer assistance to stretch the help further.1Down Payment Resource. Disability Pride Homebuyer Programs Report
State Programs Built for Disabled Buyers
Several state housing finance agencies run dedicated programs. Terms vary, but the common thread is a deferred or zero-interest second mortgage layered on top of a first mortgage from the same agency.
In Pennsylvania, the PHFA ACCESS program offers up to $15,000 as a zero-interest loan for down payment and closing costs. The borrower, or a member of the household, must have a disability, the loan must sit behind a PHFA first mortgage, and the buyer must also participate in the Access Home Modification Program. Household income cannot exceed 80% of the statewide family median income as determined by HUD. The modification piece adds $1,000 to $10,000 at zero interest for ramps, wider doorways, bathroom work, and similar accessibility improvements, with no repayment required as long as the borrower lives in the home.2Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Access Downpayment and Closing Cost Assistance
Maryland’s HomeAbility loan goes considerably larger: up to $45,000, or 25% of the purchase price, through a deferred second mortgage at 0% interest, with no mortgage insurance required. Payments are deferred for the life of the first mortgage and come due when the house is sold, refinanced, or transferred. Income has to be at or below 80% of area median income. Disability is documented through a Certificate of Disability, Social Security records, VA records, or proof of a pending application. A caregiver who is the legal guardian and primary caregiver of a disabled family member living in the home also qualifies.3Maryland Mortgage Program. HomeAbility Loan
Connecticut takes a different approach. The Home of Your Own program from the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority offers a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage at a below-market rate, with an additional 0.125% knocked off that reduced rate (0.25% in federally targeted areas). Disability is verified through SSI records, the state Department of Social Services, or the Department of Developmental Services. The mortgage stacks with CHFA’s separate Down Payment Assistance Program.4Connecticut Housing Finance Authority. Disabled Programs
Washington’s HomeChoice program offers up to $15,000 as a deferred second mortgage at 1% interest for buyers with disabilities.5Down Payment Resource. Disability Pride Spotlight on Homebuyer Assistance Programs
Programs in other states exist as well. The state housing finance agency is the right first call, and the National Council of State Housing Agencies maintains a directory.6National Council of State Housing Agencies. Housing Help
VA Grants for Veterans With Service-Connected Disabilities
Veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities have access to grants, not loans. Nothing has to be paid back. For fiscal year 2026, the three programs are:
- Specially Adapted Housing (SAH): up to $126,526, to build, buy, or modify a home for a severe service-connected disability.7Department of Veterans Affairs. Disability Housing Grants
- Special Home Adaptation (SHA): up to $25,350, for veterans with different qualifying disabilities who need to modify an existing home.7Department of Veterans Affairs. Disability Housing Grants
- Temporary Residence Adaptation (TRA): up to $50,961 for SAH-eligible veterans or $9,100 for SHA-eligible veterans who are living temporarily in a family member’s home.8Congressional Research Service. VA Housing Assistance for Veterans With Disabilities
These amounts are adjusted annually; the FY2026 numbers reflect a 3.87% increase over the prior year.9Federal Register. Loan Guaranty Assistance to Eligible Individuals in Acquiring Specially Adapted Housing Apply with VA Form 26-4555 online, by mail, or at a VA regional office.10Department of Veterans Affairs. How to Apply for Disability Housing Grants
Will a Lender Count Your Disability Income?
Before any assistance program matters, you need a mortgage. The underwriting rules are generally friendly to disability income.
FHA guidelines accept disability income from Social Security (SSDI and SSI), the VA, and private disability insurance, provided the benefits are verified and likely to continue for at least three years from the application date. If the award notice does not list an expiration date, the lender has to treat the income as continuing and cannot ask for more proof. Lenders are prohibited from asking about the nature of the disability or requesting medical records, and a pending medical re-evaluation does not disqualify the income on its own. The documentation is standard: proof of receipt (tax return, bank statement, benefit letter, or SSA-1099) and the award letter.11U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Mortgagee Letter 12-1512FHA.com. FHA Loan Disability Income Requirements
Fannie Mae’s selling guide covers long-term disability income, Social Security income, and VA benefits income under its conventional loan rules, each with its own verification policy.13Fannie Mae. HomeReady Mortgage Loan and Borrower Eligibility
USDA Section 502 Direct loans do not require a minimum employment history. The program asks whether income is “stable and dependable,” and public assistance and disability benefits received consistently under law qualify. Households that include a disabled member get a $480 annual income deduction per qualifying person, and reasonable disability-related care costs that let the disabled person or a family member work can be deducted from income.14USDA. Section 502 Direct Program Eligibility Assessment
If You Receive SSI: The $2,000 Problem and How to Save Around It
Supplemental Security Income has a resource limit of $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. Go over in any month and you lose benefits for that month. The limits have not changed since 1989.15Social Security Administration. Understanding SSI Resources This makes a traditional savings approach to a down payment effectively impossible for SSI recipients. Two tools exist to work around it.
An ABLE account (Achieving a Better Life Experience) lets a disabled person hold savings that are excluded from the SSI resource limit up to $100,000. Housing is a qualified disability expense, so ABLE funds can go toward a home purchase. There is a trap: if you take a distribution for housing and don’t spend it in the same month, the unspent portion counts as a resource the next month. Contributions are capped at $19,000 per year in 2026, and eligibility requires disability onset before age 46.16Social Security Administration. ABLE Accounts Spotlight
A Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) lets a disabled or blind SSI recipient set aside money or property for a specific work-related goal, with the assets excluded from the resource count.15Social Security Administration. Understanding SSI Resources
Once you actually own the home you live in, the house and the land it sits on are not counted as resources. Owning the home does not jeopardize SSI; the hard part is getting there with savings intact.
Legislation to raise the limits to $10,000 and $20,000, indexed to inflation, was reintroduced in April 2025 as the bipartisan SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act. Similar bills have been introduced before without passing.17Office of Rep. Danny K. Davis. Reps Davis and Fitzpatrick Push Long-Needed Update to Supplemental Security18Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The Case for Updating SSI Asset Limits
Money to Adapt the Home You Buy
If an accessible home is not available on the market, several programs fund modifications.
Pennsylvania’s ACCESS Home Modification Program pairs with a PHFA first mortgage and provides $1,000 to $10,000 at zero interest for accessibility work, with no repayment required as long as you live in the home.19Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Programs for Persons With Disabilities
New York’s Access to Home Program funds ramps, lifts, handrails, doorway widening, roll-in showers, and similar changes. Household income must be at or below 80% of area median income, or 120% for certain veterans with service-connected disabilities. Applications go through local program administrators rather than the state.20NYS Homes and Community Renewal. Access to Home Program
USDA Section 504 Home Repair Grants provide up to $10,000 nationwide in rural areas to very-low-income homeowners who are 62 or older, to remove health and safety hazards. The grant must be repaid if the property is sold within three years. Applications go through local USDA Rural Development offices and are accepted year-round.21USDA Rural Development. Single Family Housing Repair Loans and Grants
Some Habitat for Humanity affiliates also build or renovate for disabled buyers, bringing in occupational therapists during design to incorporate zero-step entries, roll-in showers, and other accessibility features. Availability depends on the local affiliate.22Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity. Yes in My Backyard: Accessible Homes23Habitat for Humanity of Greater Memphis. Accessible Homes
Your Rights During the Purchase and Loan Process
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in the sale, rental, and financing of a home. Lenders and housing providers must grant reasonable accommodations, meaning changes to rules, policies, or practices that give a disabled person equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. A request does not need any specific wording; you just need to communicate that you need an adjustment because of a disability. If the disability or the need is not obvious, the provider may ask for non-medical documentation. They cannot charge an extra fee or deposit for the accommodation, and they can deny it only if it would be an undue financial or administrative burden or fundamentally change their operations.24U.S. Department of Justice. Fair Housing Act Disability Rights
Complaints can be filed with HUD within one year of the violation at no cost, or in federal court within two years.25U.S. Department of Justice. Recent Accomplishments of the Housing and Civil Enforcement Section
Where to Start
The practical sequence looks like this. Confirm the disability documentation you have (SSA records, VA records, a Certificate of Disability from your state, or an award letter) because every program asks for some version of it. Call your state housing finance agency and ask what disability-specific programs they offer; if you are a veteran with a service-connected disability, submit VA Form 26-4555. If you receive SSI, open an ABLE account before you start saving.
A Center for Independent Living can help with housing referrals and navigating the moving pieces. The Administration for Community Living keeps a directory by state.26Administration for Community Living. Centers for Independent Living