Illinois Housing Development
Authority Releases Applications for $10 Million in Community
Revitalization Grants
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[August 27, 2020]
The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) today announced
$10 million in funding is available to support affordable housing
and community revitalization efforts in communities across the
state. Starting today, municipalities, counties and land banks may
apply for grants through the state’s Strong Communities Program, a
new program that assists local government agencies with the
acquisition, maintenance, rehabilitation and demolition of abandoned
residential properties in their communities. The program is funded
by Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan, the
first capital plan in nearly a decade. The application will remain
open until September 28, 2020 at 3 p.m. CST and is available online
at: www.ihda.org/my-community/revitalization-programs.
“Blight affects many communities, large and small across Illinois,
and it is critical that municipalities have the tools they need to
address the economic and social impact that vacant homes continue to
impose in neighborhoods throughout the state,” IHDA Executive
Director Kristin Faust said. “This is why IHDA is committed to
helping Illinois cities and towns as they tackle their local housing
needs. Over three funding rounds of the Strong Communities Program
we expect to finance the rehabilitation of an estimated 1,000
abandoned homes and the demolition of an additional 500 blighted
properties that are beyond repair.”
Created in 2020, the Strong Communities Program provides grants of
up to $250,000 to local government agencies to return vacant
residential properties to productive and taxable use through
rehabilitation.
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In cases where properties are beyond repair and negatively impacting neighboring
residences, the program may also provide funds for demolition. The program will
also reimburse municipalities for tree, shrub and debris removal, lot treatment
and greening, and other reasonable costs associated with returning blighted
properties to productive use.
The Strong Communities Program is available statewide. Applicants must be a
municipality, county, or land bank located in the State of Illinois. However, a
county or municipality may join with other counties or municipalities and
together submit a single application, and regional planning commissions are
eligible to apply on behalf of the governments they serve.

The grants are funded by Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital
plan and will leverage IHDA’s ongoing state- and federally-funded initiatives to
increase property values, create jobs, help reduce crime, generate additional
tax revenue and attract further community investment in underserved communities
around the state. A total of $30 million in grant funding will be awarded
through the program over three application rounds.
For any questions about the application process, applicants should contact
IHDA’s Community Affairs Department at SCPinfo@ihda.org.
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