Congresswoman Lauren Underwood has secured $200,000 for Kendall County’s Court-Appointed Special Advocate program, which assists and advocates for children in the court system.

Underwood, D-Naperville, announced federal funding of $10.5 million for a variety of projects across her 14th Congressional District on March 17.

The $200,000 grant for Kendall County will be used to establish a “CASA Clubhouse,” a multi-use space serving foster youth and their families and advocates.

The Clubhouse will be a free, safe location for families to meet during court-ordered visitation. It will also be used to store donations for families and as the permanent advocacy office for CASA of Kendall County.

As of spring 2021, there is no single facility in Kendall County dedicated to meet this need, while the number of foster youth in the county doubled from 2019 to 2020, Underwood said.

“Foster youth and their caregivers deserve safe spaces,” Underwood said. “I am proud to secure funding for CASA of Kendall County to create the first dedicated space in our district to support the needs of the growing number of foster youth and families in our community,” Underwood said.

A member of House Appropriations Committee, Underwood said the 10 projects will shorten wait times for mental health services, improve the quality of local drinking water, improve kindergarten readiness, make higher education more affordable and accessible, strengthen emergency response, and increase community safety.

Underwood successfully secured federal funding for projects that will benefit communities across northern Illinois through the new Community Project Funding request process.

“From day one, I have fought to bring the voices of the 14th District to Congress and worked hard to make sure our priorities are reflected in federal funding bills,” Underwood said.

This funding is in addition to the $17 billion Underwood recently secured for Illinois-specific transportation and infrastructure projects through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and follows billions of dollars in federal resources that Underwood has delivered for COVID-19 economic recovery in the 14th District.

Community Project Funding is a new initiative for federal Fiscal Year 2022 that allows members of Congress to request direct funding for projects that benefit the communities they represent.