Streator residents may qualify for housing improvement funds, meeting set Oct. 30

Streator received a grant to improve its residential neighborhoods and will be seeking renewal of another grant with the same goal.

The city is hosting a public meeting 5:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 30, at Streator City Hall, 204 S. Bloomington St., to discuss the 2023 Community Development Block Grant application. Residents may be eligible for funding for improvements and upgrades to existing houses.

Information will be presented on the grant program guidelines, eligibility requirements and income qualifications. North Central Illinois Council of Governments will be assisting the city through this process.

In 2022, Streator received $550,000 in CDBG funds. At that time, the state awarded $8 million in assistance for 15 communities to invest in 154 housing improvement projects, including to Ottawa, Marseilles and Spring Valley.

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, among others. Homeowners work through the local unit of government to apply for the grant, with up to $50,000 available for each home.

The first grant was restricted to a neighborhood in Streator, but the next application will allow for any resident within the city to qualify, said Mayor Tara Bedei.

In addition to Streator’s CDBG application, it was one of 68 recipients of the Strong Community Program Grant through the Illinois Housing Development Authority, receiving $73,000 toward rehabilitation and demolition of vacant properties.

“SCP was created in Aug. 2020 in response to the Illinois Community Revitalization Task Force that was created by the Illinois General Assembly to help address vacant and abandoned residential properties. This round of SCP provides grants up to $750,000 to help Illinois municipalities, counties and land banks address local affordable housing needs and community revitalization efforts. The program aims to return vacant residential properties to productive and taxable use through rehabilitation and provide funds for demolition in cases where properties are beyond repair and negatively impacting neighboring residences.”

Streator has used this grant in the past to demolish or clean up derelict properties.