North Cook News

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said on Tuesday that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Illinois over $67 million in grants for state and local programs to provide affordable housing and other services for those in need.

“This federal investment will give local development agencies across Illinois the ability to offer affordable housing and homeless assistance to the people in their community who need it most,” Durbin said.

The HUD funds come from Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG), the HOME program and Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS (HOPWA) grants. The four HUD grants focus on helping develop and improve housing opportunities in urban communities.

CDBG grants help state and local governments provide housing and expand economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents. Cook County is set to receive $9.5 million in funding; Des Plaines, $276,523; Elgin, $798,926; Hoffman Estates, $246,395; Mount Prospect, $256,919; Oak Park, $1.5 million; Palatine, $371,311; and Schaumburg, $299,949.

Annual grants to state, local, nonprofit and private groups provided by the ESG program are used to improve and increase the number of emergency homeless shelters. The ESG program also funds essential services and homeless prevention programs. The State of Illinois will receive $4.7 million; Cook County, $819,584; and Oak Park, $137,514.

The HOME program provides federal funding to state and local governments to create and expand affordable housing for low-income residents. The State of Illinois will receive $11.1 million and Cook County $4.1 million in funding.

The State of Illinois will receive $1.1 million in funding from the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program to provide housing aid and other services for low-income HIV/AIDS patients and their families.