Pritzker Administration Announces Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Recipients Across Illinois

For Immediate Release – June 9, 2022

SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (DCEO) today announced the recipients for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Public Infrastructure and Housing Rehabilitation. A total of $23.5 million will be awarded for 45 projects, which will support housing rehabilitation projects and enable communities in non-metropolitan areas to make critical repairs to water, sewer, and drainage infrastructure to enhance safety and quality of life for residents.

“Our communities deserve up-to-date water facilities and safe, reliable homes – which is why as Governor I have made public infrastructure among my highest priorities,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “These grants will empower cities and towns across the state to improve the quality of life for their residents as we work to ensure every community in every corner of the state has access to the public works they deserve.”

“DCEO’s award of $23.5 million of Community Development Block Grant funds to downstate and rural communities will help deliver critical water, sewer, housing rehabilitation and other infrastructure projects, which are often too expensive for smaller localities to shoulder on their own,” said DCEO Director Sylvia I. Garcia. “Governor Pritzker and our representatives in Congress have prioritized infrastructure investments for Illinoisans who need it most and CDBG is a great example of how the state is leveraging federal funds to support communities across Illinois.”

“Every Illinois community deserves access to safe drinking water, proper sanitary management, and stable housing,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). “The projects announced today with $23.5 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funding deliver on that promise.”

“This is a good step forward in the Federal Government’s work to update water infrastructure and support safe, sanitary and accessible housing for disadvantaged, small and rural communities,” said U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL). “Working Illinoisans need and deserve federal resources to keep themselves and their families healthy, and as the author of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s clean water provisions, I’m proud to advocate for their access to quality housing and clean water.”

“When we think about the infrastructure we use every day, we often think about roads and bridges. But water, sewage and housing infrastructure are just as critical,” said Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (IL-17). “I’m thrilled to join Governor Pritzker and DCEO Director Garcia to announce that Monmouth, Freeport, and Astoria will each receive $550,000 in funding through this vital program to repair aging water and sewer infrastructure and rehabilitate housing for Illinoisans. I look forward to seeing the positive impact these funds have on our communities.”

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Public Infrastructure:

Public infrastructure grants are designed to provide communities with funding to improve public infrastructure and eliminate conditions detrimental to public health, safety, and public welfare. As part of the annual CDBG program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, DCEO is awarding $15.5 million for 30 water infrastructure projects. These projects include construction of storm sewer pipes, waterline replacements, hydrant and water storage tank construction, and other critical projects that help mitigate flooding and support sewage management, water delivery and other public water necessities.

State-administered CDBG funds must be utilized in areas that do not receive their own funds directly from HUD, with the majority of funds benefitting smaller communities and rural areas. Local governments were able to request a maximum award of $550,000, with an average grant size for the 2021 program at $517,000. Preference was given to projects located in underserved areas, opportunity zones and those which proposed a non-state matching component to drive the maximum investment to the area. When matched with other local funds, the grants will generate repairs valued at nearly $21 million. Recipients include:

Buffalo, $510,000
Clay City, $550,000
Coalton, $550,000
Cypress, $391,550
Dieterich $549,945
East Cape Girardeau, $550,000
Effingham, $550,000
Flat Rock, $550,000
Grayville, $550,000
Jeffersonville, $408,740
Mason City, $550,000
Middletown, $550,000
Mineral, $451,800
Monmouth, $550,000
Montrose, $550,000
Mound City, $530,050
Mt. Vernon, $550,000
Neoga, $550,000
Olmsted, $403,000
Olney, $550,000
Pana, $550,000
Princeton, $406,910
Sesser, $544,000
Sparland, $424,000
Sullivan, $550,000
Sumner, $550,000
Thebes, $457,400
Tuscola, $550,000
Virden, $530,625
West Frankfort, $550,000

“Half a million dollars for infrastructure may not mean a whole lot to larger cities, but to the rural communities of Pana, Virden, and Coalton it is a gamechanger,” said Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield). “Every community needs clean water, no matter where you live. These Community Development Block Grants for Public Infrastructure are going to go a long way in making sure that these communities have water and sewer systems that are safe, reliable, and efficient for years to come.”

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for Housing Rehabilitation

DCEO is awarding $8 million in assistance for 15 communities to invest in 154 housing improvement projects. Housing rehabilitation grants are designed to assist low-to-moderate income homeowners with improvements to ensure safe and sanitary living conditions. Eligible uses of funds include structural work, electrical, plumbing, new appliances, flooring, ADA, and accessibility accommodations, and more. Homeowners work through the local unit of government to apply for the grant, with up to $50,000 available for each home. Recipients include:

Astoria, $550,000
Christopher, $550,000
Freeport, $550,000
Hurst, $550,000
Johnston City, $550,000
Macomb, $550,000
Marseilles, $550,000
North City, $500,000
Ottawa, $550,000
Pittsburg, $500,000
Quincy, $550,000
Ridgway, $500,000
Spring Valley, $550,000
Streator, $550,000
Zeigler, $500,000

“The Community Development Block Grants for Housing Rehabilitation is going to be a lifeline for dozens of families in my district that will have critical safety issues addressed in their homes,” said Rep. Lance Yednock (D-Ottawa). “Given the great shortage of safe, adequate, and available housing we are seeing across the country, this couldn’t come at a better time. Congratulations to Ottawa, Marseilles, Spring Valley, and Streator on being awarded these funds. Gratitude is due to North Central Illinois Council of Governments for their aggressive pursuit of grant funds across the Illinois Valley.”

The CDBG project is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These state-administered funds are earmarked exclusively for non-metropolitan communities that do not receive CDBG entitlement funding from HUD. All funding will benefit communities with 51 percent or more low-to-moderate income residences, in accordance with CDBG program requirements.