Village of Arlington Heights Committee-of-the-Whole met June 12.
Here are the minutes provided by the committee:
BOARD MEMBERS PRESENT: President Hayes; Trustees: Baldino, Bertucci, Dunnington, Grasse, LaBedz, and Tinaglia
BOARD MEMBERS ABSENT: Shirley and Schwingbeck
STAFF MEMBERS PRESENT: Randy Recklaus, Village Manager; Charles Perkins, Director of Planning and Community Development; Nora Boyer, Housing Planner; Becky Hume, Village Clerk
SUBJECTS:
A. Public Hearing
Part I-Draft 2023 Annual Action Plan
Part II-Substantial/Other Amendments to the 2019 Annual Action Plan
Mr. Perkins began by explaining this is the 1st Public Hearing. A 30-day public comment period follows and a closing Public Hearing will occur in July. A summary of the 2023 grant requests from the agencies was described. The amount applied for was $616,610. Ms. Boyer listed the grant applications and their individual requests. Details of these requests are attached to the Agenda. Mr. Perkins presented the staff recommendations for fund disbursement for the $411,019 available. Exhibit A outlines the amounts. The HUD guidelines intend for CDBG monies to support brick and mortar programs, municipalities are allowed to apply limited amounts to social services.
Also tonight, staff is submitting proposed reallocations of funds from the 2019 Annual Action Plan. The recommended CDBG-CV Reallocations are:
Original Allocation Unexpended Balances
Public Services
Health Dept. Rent/Mortgage/Utilities Assist.: $14,670
NW Housing Partnership: $14,000
Arlington Heights Park Dist. CAP-Plus: $ 2,670
Total Current Public Services Unexpended Balance: $31,340
Economic Development
Small Business Forgivable Loan Program: $56,500
Proposed Reallocations
Public Services
Journeys The Road Home $15,670
Northwest Compass $15,670
Total Public Services Reallocations: $31,340
Public Facilities
Clearbrook Center
Supportive Employment Project
1815 W Central Rd. Project Reallocation: $56,500
CBDG funds not used by 2026 must be returned to HUD. There is no action required tonight. July 17th will be the second public hearing.
Trustee Tinaglia moved to open the Public Hearing. Trustee Baldino seconded the motion. The motion carried.
President Hayes said all agencies do such a great job providing services to those in need. We wish we could give more money. We are limited in the funds we can distribute.
Trustee Tinaglia agreed saying every time we do this, it's stressful and disappointing and wonderful all at the same time. This year our funds were reduced down from $435,315 to $411,019. In the first group of numbers, the requests are for $119,000 but because of Federal stipulations the maximum amount we can give is $48,800. The Village spreads it out the best we can. We are about $206,000 short of fulfilling all the requests.
Trustee Bertucci reiterated the Village is taking money from brick and mortar and bringing it up to the public services sector when it can. It has redeployed money to Journeys, Northwest Compass and Clearbrook. He asked the speakers to note their next fundraisers so the Board knows. He said he would promote their events on his social media feeds. Trustee Bertucci asked if there was a way the Village could promote their fundraisers.
Mr. Recklaus said the Village does not promote outside organizations on our website, if we promote one not for profit, we have to do the same for all who ask, not just these organizations.
Trustee LaBedz agreed with Trustee Bertucci saying it was unfortunate that the Village is restricted. $299,419 is the total CBDG grant. There was a carryover of $61,600 from last year and program income from loans being repaid of $50,000, for a total of $411,019.
Agency Comments
Carrie Estrada, of Northwest CASA, a rape crisis provider said there have been huge Federal budget cuts and they are calling on communities to help fill the gap. They have over 40 people on the wait list currently who need counselling. Last year, 30% of their clients were children. They used to get their money from VOCA (Victims of Crime Act) but that was cut in half. Their agency covers all of Cook County outside of Chicago. She did not know how many of the 40 clients were from the Village.
Char Padovani from Connections to Care said they have helped 35,000 seniors get rides to the doctor in the past 17 years. Last year, over 1,000 rides were to Village residents. 25% of the Village's population is over 60. Their annual fundraiser is in November. They have 100 drivers, but there are less than 50 active drivers. The average driver's age is 70. Sometimes they have to turn people down.
Greg Davenport of the North Suburban Legal Aid Clinic said they offer free legal services for immigration clients. There were 45 Village residents who needed help last year. He said his organization would like to develop a closer relationship with the Village and their social workers.
JD Montz from Life Span said they offer free counseling, legal representation and court advocacy for victims of domestic violence. They have an advocate in the Rolling Meadows Courthouse full time. They help survivors to begin their new lives. Life Span's next fundraiser is September 28th
Shaina Makani of Journeys-The Road Home said they are sponsoring the Superhero SK on June 17th. Their largest fundraiser is the Bid for Hope in the fall. Journeys provides shelter and wrap around social services for the unhoused or for people who are at risk of losing their homes. For Arlington Heights, last year they helped 119 residents. This year they are serving 900 people. They've seen a dramatic increase in children who need shelter. There were 62 children last year, this year, there are 97. In May they served 12 clients from the Village. They do not serve unaccompanied minors, so the children are with family units. Clients typically stay in their apartments 2 years; some need to stay longer. Their program stabilizes clients so they can move forward securely. There is no maximum stay timeline for their apartments.
Taylor Kanara of the Children's Advocacy Clinic said they provide service to children and families who have experienced abuse. They are the only agency to program for children from 0- 5 years of age. They provide crisis intervention, individual therapy and work to connect the children with their nonoffending caregiver. Their focus is on healing the children's trauma. The base of the program is on Golf Road and they are looking to further connect with the network in Arlington Heights. CAC has a 5K on June 24th called Champions for Children.
Letitia Fiorito of WINGS said they provided more than 16,000 hours of counseling last year. They are breaking ground for their first community center which will be attached to their main office in Rolling Meadows. WINGS provides counseling and a safety plan so clients can exit safely. The Village supports their safe house in Rolling Meadows. Currently, they are looking for more transitional housing units. October 7th is their fundraiser.
President Hayes noted that Ms. Fiorito called the other service organizations her colleagues. He appreciated the recognition that these organizations all work together.
Sonia Ivanov of Northwest Compass said the funds the Village gives are matched by another organization making the money even more important. In the last 5 months they served 371 clients from Arlington Heights. In the last full year, they served 771 clients. NW Compass gets calls from the suburban call center. Rents are rising and many people are facing housing insecurity. They have 11 apartments in the Arlington Heights area where people can stay from 1-4 years. Every penny counts. This year 2,811 children needed help in Suburban Cook County. Their next fundraiser is Wednesday June 14th and there is another one in the fall.
Trustee Tinaglia moved to close the Public Hearing. Trustee LaBedz seconded the motion. The motion carried.
Trustee Grasse thanked all the agencies for what they do. The needs are increasing and are so great. It is a heavy responsibility.
Trustee Baldino moved to adjourn the meeting at 8:15 p.m. Trustee LaBedz seconded the motion. The motion carried and the meeting concluded.
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