CDBG/HOME Notice of Funding Availability
March 1, 2018
WILL COUNTY LAND USE DEPARTMENT
58 E. Clinton Street, Suite 100 • Joliet, Illinois 60432
815/774-7904 • Fax: 815/774-7895
NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY
Will County anticipates receiving Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) Consortium funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the period of October 1, 2018 – September 30, 2019 (PY 2018) and is presently accepting proposals for CDBG Public Service and HOME grant funds.
The 2018 Will County CDBG Public Service Applications and HOME Consortium applications are available and can be obtained electronically on the Will County Land Use Department’s website: http://www.willcountylanduse.com
CDBG Public Service Funds:
All CDBG Public Service project applications must meet a national objective of benefiting low/moderate income residents. CDBG regulations allow the use of grant funds for a wide range of public service activities, but not limited to employment services, health services, senior services, and homeless services. CDBG funds may be used to pay for labor, supplies, and material as well as to operate and/or maintain the portion of a facility in which the public service is located. This includes the lease of a facility, equipment, and other property needed for the public service. All Public Service applications for continued funding on existing projects must, at least, maintain the current level of service provided by the project. Detailed information is contained in the application. CDBG Public Service funds are limited and projects will be ranked and awarded based upon a competitive application process.
HOME Consortium Funds:
The HOME Consortium with the City of Joliet and the Village of Bolingbrook was formed in 2016. Projects funded with the City of Joliet HOME allocation will be administered by the City but the applications will be reviewed by the Consortium and should be submitted using the HOME Consortium application. The Village of Bolingbrook does not have an allocation, but by joining the Consortium, HOME eligible projects within the Village limits are now eligible for funding. HOME projects are developed to assist the Federal Government’s commitment to providing decent, safe, and affordable housing for low income Americans and to alleviating the problems of excessive rent burdens, homelessness, and deteriorating housing stock nationwide.
The HOME Consortium is interested in increasing the supply of quality affordable housing throughout Will County and is requesting proposals for:
- The development of affordable housing for homebuyers, and
- The development of affordable housing for renters (including group homes)
Development of homebuyer housing or rental housing can be new construction or rehabilitation of existing housing. The beneficiaries of the housing units must be low income households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income.
The HOME program requires a 25% match, therefore all proposed development projects need to have at least 25% local match identified. Examples of what can be used for match are included in the application. Applications for all such projects will be ranked and awarded based upon a competitive application process.
CHDO Proposals:
There is a special provision of the HOME Program Rule that requires the Will County HOME Consortium to set aside a portion of its HOME funds for organizations that are designated as Community Housing Development Organizations, CHDOs. A CHDO can receive funding for affordable housing activities such as rental housing production or development of home ownership opportunities. Certified CHDOs are eligible to apply under this special earmark for projects that provide affordable housing to low-to-moderate income people.
Organizations interested in becoming a CHDO must meet certain requirements pertaining to its legal status, organizational structure, and capacity and experience in order to be certified as a CHDO and should attend the application workshop prior to submitting an application for HOME/CHDO funds. Once certified as a CHDO, a CHDO must recertify annually until the HOME assisted unit is out of the Affordability Period which may be as long as 20 years depending on the type of development project funded. Organizations that do not meet the CHDO qualifications may also apply for development projects under regular HOME funds.
For those applicants who would like more information on the grant programs, eligibility of activities and application requirements, we are offering a workshop on March 29, 2018 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (1:00p-2:15p CDBG and 2:30p-4:00p HOME/CHDO) at Will County Land Use Department located at 58 E. Clinton, Joliet, IL, 60432.
All applications are due Friday May 4th by 4:30 p.m. Please call for details/directions and to RSVP for the workshop with Martha Sojka by email msojka@willcountylanduse.com or (815) 774-3364.
Disclaimer: The timing for notification and award amounts for the CDBG and HOME grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development are currently unknown as are the allocation amounts. The current funding levels are estimated based on the previous year allocation. Actual funding allocations and availability is contingent on the final entitlement amount authorized by Congress and the Department of Housing and Urban Development and therefore, not guaranteed at this time.
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