Housing Committee Gives Updates on Illinois Rental Payment Program

Share

Illinois tenants behind on their rent can receive a one-time grant of up to $25,000 paid directly to their landlord on their behalf under the $75 million COVID-19 affordable housing grant program

If a landlord does not sign off on the program, tenants can apply to receive a grant directly, according to the Illinois Housing Committee and the Illinois Housing Development Authority.

The Illinois Rental Payment Program will provide an additional $297 million in taxpayer dollars  to renters and landlords to prevent evictions.

The assistance covers up to 18 months of emergency rental payments, including up to 15 months of missed payments and up to three months of future payments.

The program started taking applications in December 2021. IHDA Executive Director Kristin Faust provided an update Wednesday on how the program has doing.

“The IDHA board has approved $72.7 million in COVID-19 affordable housing grant program funds,” Faust said. “They have gone to 20 developments containing 1,094 units.”

Faust also discussed the average cost of each development during the first round of funding.

The average cost of each grant was about $3.6 million per project, Faust said, and covered 17 communities across 11 counties.

State Rep. Deanne Mazzochi said during committee that she worries the funding is not going to the people who need it most.

“You are getting a larger developer to do these projects and take advantage of the money,” Mazzochi said. “Not necessarily our smaller mom and pop unit holders, where this money would make a difference.”

Faust said the program would be able to provide additional assistance after additional funding is made available.

“In 2022, the Illinois General Assembly allocated an additional $150 million for the COVID-19 affordable housing grant program,” Faust said. “This will allow IDHA to fund even more units of affordable housing.”

Mazzochi asked Faust how the program intends to adjust to inflation.

“Construction costs have been going up roughly 15 to 35 percent depending on new construction or what your finishes are and those types of things,” Mazzochi said. “We are concerned about that.”

***Courtesy of the Illinois Radio Network***

Spread the word

Trending Now

Featured News Podcasts

Subscribe to our Community Newsletter

By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Prairie Communications, 55 Public Square, Monmouth, IL, 61462, https://977wmoi.com/. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Choose a Category

Continue Reading

Monmouth Residents Escape Fire Unharmed

On Wednesday, March 27th at 6:01 PM, the Monmouth Fire Department was dispatched to a possible structure fire at 301 South B Street in Monmouth. Information from the Warren County

Watch Out for Scams this Tax Season!

As another tax season has arrived, Monmouth Police Department Investigator Josh Kramer reminds taxpayers to be on the lookout for those IRS scam letters: “They will be claiming that you

2024 FS Spring Ag Roundtable Day 2

The second round of the 2024 FS Spring Ag Roundtables kicked off Wednesday morning with ag leaders across the state of Illinois. Listen to remarks from Krista Swanson, Evan Hultine, Grant Strom,