The Village of Park Forest successfully exhausted a grant totaling over $400,000, which helped income-qualified residents replace their roofs and have some have full home rehabs done.
In the summer of 2022, the Village applied for a grant through the Illinois Housing Development Authority. The department runs the Home Repair and Accessibility Program (HRAP), which is designed to assist low—and very-low-income homeowners by providing funds for vital health and safety repairs and accessibility improvements.
Assistant Director of Economic Development and Planning Andrew Brown said that once the Village received the funding, they started accepting applications in the spring of 2023. He said many people applied, and over 80 households signed up to seek assistance with critical home repairs.
Brown explained that the application process was extensive and rigorous, ultimately enabling them to assist 23 Park Foresters. He noted that some of the qualifications included experiencing financial hardship due to the pandemic and having a total household income at or below 150% of the area median income.
"We were able to replace 20 roofs, and the average cost for these replacements was roughly $18,000," Brown said. "Some participants had extensive work that needed to be done and had full home rehabs which totaled over $41,00 per home."
Brown said that during this process, the Village received additional funding from the state for this program. The grant helped with the home repairs for the applicants. But it also helped the Village add more staff to guide applicants through the process which at times took several months.
Brown emphasized that in nearly every case, residents receiving assistance would not have been able to afford these crucial repairs on their own. Many also lacked the experience or resources to navigate the complex process of finding trustworthy contractors and managing large projects. He noted the additional staff the Village hired helped applicants with the aforementioned.
Brown acknowledged the "tremendous amount" of behind-the-scenes effort required from the Village staff to make this happen. He said the program involved significantly more paperwork than other grants. Each completed project for a single homeowner required a minimum of 28 signatures and four notarized documents. Across all completed projects, the total exceeded 644 signatures and nearly 100 notary stamps.
"It was a mountain of paperwork, but we climbed willingly to help our neighbors," Brown remarked. "I thank the Park Forest Building Department staff for providing countless notary services."
Brown noted that this program's benefits extend to the entire community, including those who were not participants. When a neighbor's home is safe, secure, and well-maintained, it enhances the community as a whole. He added that this contributes to stable property values, improves the visual appeal of the streets, and fosters a stronger sense of community pride.
"Most importantly, it means our neighbors, people we know and care about, can continue living safely and with dignity in the homes they love," Brown concluded.
Brown said there are still more than 20 people on the waiting list. If the state is able to fund this program again, those people will receive help with making much-needed improvements to their homes. Brown cautioned that it is unclear if there will be funding and said the Village will make an official announcement if something changes.