Representatives who work for central Illinois social service agencies and nonprofit organizations say finding safe, affordable housing is not easy—but it's an even bigger challenge for someone who has special needs.

That assessment came during an Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) Listening Tour on Tuesday—one of several across the state to review current and future housing needs in the state. IHDA also is surveying residents for additional input for its Housing Blueprint initiative. 

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The Housing Authority of the Birmingham District has selected its next leader.

The board unanimously voted to select David A. Northern Sr. as president and CEO, pending an official offer and contract agreement. He was selected after a national search that included three finalists.

He will succeed Michael Lundy, who was placed in paid administrative leave earlier this year. Dontrelle Young-Foster was named interim president and CEO of the organization, which manages public housing in Birmingham.

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The hardest thing about being a leader, JACLYN VINSON has discovered at a young age, is “not wanting to let anyone down."

"Not my family," she says. "Not my residents. Not my team. Not my board. Not my community.”

And especially not in Vermilion County, where the daughter of Rossville's Adam and Teresa Marganski was raised, attended high school (Schlarman) and was working (as a Danville city planner) before being selected executive director of the  Housing Authority of the City of Danville just five years after graduating from the University of Illinois' College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

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ILLINOIS (WAND) - A Congressman representing Illinois announced over $2.4 million in block grants to support housing needs during the pandemic. 

U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood (IL-18) said $2,466,689 will go to Springfield, Peoria, Bloomington and Normal as Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). LaHood said the funds will bring "critical support" for people looking to regain stability and housing for middle and low-income families in need. 

"With this funding communities across Illinois’ 18th Congressional District will be able to provide and support affordable housing for those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," LaHood said. "I applaud Secretary Ben Carson and the Trump Administration for their efforts to support our communities and I’ll continue to work with them and my colleagues to help lift folks out of poverty and provide stability to those that need it most.”

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CHAMPAIGN — The Housing Authority of Champaign County has implemented three new Moving to Work initiatives, including one that will pick up the cost of on-campus housing for eligible University of Illinois students in lower-income families.

Moving to Work is a demonstration program for public housing authorities, giving them the authority to design and test innovative, locally-designed strategies using federal money to boost employment, self-sufficiency and housing choices, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

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The Trump administration is ordering a halt on evictions nationwide through December for people who have lost work during the pandemic and don't have other good housing options.

The new eviction ban is being enacted through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The goal is to stem the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, which the agency says in its order "presents a historic threat to public health."

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The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Friday issued a reminder to all grantees--states, cities, communities, and nonprofits-who received Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) or Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) fund--that they may use these funds to provide rental assistance or other aid to individuals experiencing financial hardship because of the pandemic and are at risk of being evicted, consistent with applicable laws, regulations, and guidance, according to a statement Friday.

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EFFINGHAM — Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation is pleased to announce the following grant opportunities available to eligible organizations throughout its service area. The following applications are available online at www.enrichingourcommunity.org/grants and are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 21.

Regional Nonprofit Capacity Building Microgrants are strategic investments used to defray the cost of training and development opportunities targeted at improving the management, board participation, governance, fundraising, and leadership of the applicant organization in the southeastern Illinois region. Requests can be in response to needs that have arisen due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Usual capacity building services include but are not limited to strategic planning, auditing, board and staff training, analysis of programs, cost centers, technology, and fundraising potential.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker announced Wednesday that the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity will provide $39.5 million in grants to support economic development across the states.

The grants, $24.8 million from the Fast-Track Public Infrastructure Capital program and $14.7 million for projects in Opportunity Zones, are supported by the Rebuild Illinois capital plan and are being used as a way to speedily implement infrastructure upgrades in underserved communities in the state.

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McDONOUGH COUNTY — The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will be awarding more than $800,000 to various public housing authorities in Illinois’ 18th Congressional District.

According to a press release, Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-18) revealed that the money is in the form of a Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) Program, which stems from the CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security) Act. The voucher is a way to offer aid to low-income families, the older demographic, and the disabled as their need for safe and sanitary housing persists.

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Representatives from Macoupin Housing Services (MHS) and the Macoupin County Housing Authority (MCHA) cut the ribbons on three tax credit housing developments in the county at ceremonies held Sept. 23.

Home tours were available to area residents and local dignitaries at the 14 homes built in Staunton, nine in Bunker Hill and 15 in Gillespie. The homes were built through a low-income housing tax credit created under the 1986 Tax Reform Act. It gives incentives for the use of private equity in the development of affordable housing aimed at low-income Americans. The program is administered at the state level through the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA), which receives a fixed allocation of credits based on population.

The homes have to meet strict requirements with regard to construction standards and energy efficiency.

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