With this latest round of grants, the Home Modification Program will achieve the milestone of completing improvements for 200 low-income families. Residents who qualify can receive up to $25,000. Since its inception in 2006, the program has awarded more than $5 million in grants to remodel homes so persons facing physical challenges can continue to stay in their communities and live independently, reducing the number of people needing residence in institutions in Illinois.
IHDA initiated a partnership with the Illinois Department on Aging (IDoA) and the Illinois Department of Human Services (DHS) to further the State’s efforts to coordinate services for qualified residents. As a result of this innovative approach to preserve affordable housing, the Home Modification Program received the 2008 Program of Excellence award in Special Needs Housing from the National Council of State Housing Agencies.
“The Illinois Housing Development Authority is proud to lead the state’s efforts on the Home Modification Program. Home modification does more than adapt homes for independent living. More importantly, the program gives families facing the challenges of disabilities affordable housing options enabling them to stay in their own homes and communities,” said DeShana L. Forney, IHDA Executive Director.
Rewards are evident in the difference these improvements have made in the lives of residents served. An amputee, Annie Townsend received state grants available through IHDA’s valuable partner, Ramp Up, a non-profit organization affiliated with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Chicago. The group installed a chair lift along the front steps of her Chicago row house, and another one to the second floor. Before the installation of the lifts, 64-year-old Townsend felt limited in her own home. “Now I can get around easier and do things that I enjoy,” she said.
The 2008 grant awards allow for a broader geographic distribution of resources and ensure that assistance is available in areas of the state that are currently underserved or not served at all. Organizations receiving the current round of funding are:
Grantee Area Served
Amount Funded
Estimated # homes served
Coles County Regional Planning and Development
Coles County
$128,400
Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council
Jackson, Monroe, Perry and Randolph counties
$144,450
Will County Center for Community Concerns
Will County
$64,200
Two Rivers Regional Council of Public Officials
Adams, Brown, Pike and Schuyler counties
$176,550
Shawnee Development Council, Inc.
Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski, Union and Williamson counties
$128,400
Access Living of Metropolitan Chicago
Cook, DuPage, Lake and Will counties
$128,400
B.C.M.W. Community Services
Bond, Clinton, Jefferson, Marion and Washington counties
$144,450
City of Kankakee Community Development and Economic Agency
Kankakee County
$128,400
Tri-County Opportunities Council
Bureau, Carroll, LaSalle, Lee, Marshall, Ogle, Putnam, Stark and Whiteside counties
$128,400
Western Illinois Regional Council
Hancock and McDonough counties
$128,400
Ramp Up Foundation
Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry and Will counties
$278,200
City of Springfield Office of Planning and Development
City of Springfield
$128,400
St. Clair Intergovernmental Grants Department
St. Clair County
$144,450
Wabash Area Development, Inc.
Edwards, Gallatin, Hamilton, Saline, Wabash, Wayne and White counties
$144,450
TOTAL
$1,995,550