Kane County Shares $1.7 Million in Grants for Community Improvement/Affordable Housing
Since its inception 26 years ago, Kane County has administered $35.1 million in federal community development block-grants. The grants are funded annually through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and provide “gap" funding for a variety of eligible projects and programs across communities.
In Kane County, the funding priorities for the block grants target projects surrounding affordable housing, neighborhood improvements and emergency shelter services to assist the homeless.
The County partners with 24 of its municipalities and through an application process, distributes the block grants to eligible programs with the direction of a 15-member appointed commission, who meets yearly.
Since 2016, through the money set aside for affordable housing, Kane County has helped financially support a total of 317 housing units. Also in the works are four rental housing developments in Elgin, and six single family redevelopments in Elgin, Elburn, Batavia and St. Charles.
This year $1.75 million dollars was awarded to neighborhood infrastructure projects in Carpentersville and Maple Park. Funding was also allocated to support the expansion of housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income individuals.
Kane County, along with its partners Aurora and Elgin, also has embarked on a significant collaborative effort to address homelessness. This initiative, known as the Continuum of Care (CoC), brings together a consortium of social service and government agencies to work in a coordinated manner towards alleviating homelessness.
The primary objective of the CoC is to pool resources and expertise to better serve the homeless population. This includes facilitating the allocation of federal and state funding, monitoring and evaluating the performance of recipient agencies, conducting annual assessments, and collecting and analyzing data for future planning.
According to the annual census conducted on January 25, the number of homeless individuals in Kane County has risen to 540, marking an increase from the previous year.
Within Kane County, two key programs have been implemented to tackle homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing. The Homeless Prevention Program aids households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) who are at risk of becoming homeless, providing up to 12 months of support for rent and utility arrears. Meanwhile, the Rapid Rehousing Program offers short-term and medium-term rent assistance, along with supportive services, to households experiencing homelessness.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has continued to provide funding to support homeless services. In 2023 alone, HUD allocated over $2.5 million to the Kane County CoC.
In addition to federal support, the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) has also contributed funding to combat homelessness. In 2023, IDHS allocated $2.6 million towards this cause, with the introduction of the HOME Illinois program marking a new milestone in the fight against homelessness.
To learn more about grant opporutnities and other resources, please contact the Kane County Office of Community Reinvestment at https://www.kanecountyil.gov/Pages/ocr.aspx.
