Des Plaines is asking residents, nonprofit agencies and other government bodies to help identify the needs of its low- to moderate-income population and how to meet them.
The effort is part of an application for Community Development Block Grant funds, a program administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that targets better housing, environmental and economic opportunities for the less fortunate. Grant recipients must create a plan every five years for using funds and the assessment now underway will be discussed at a plan commission meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday. ,
The city received nearly $1.5 million in grant money between 2010 and 2014, said Lauren Pruss, economic development coordinator.
Yearly allocations ranged from about $280,000 to $360,000, according to Doug Stepnicka, the city’s CDBG intern, and about $277,000 is expected this year.
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The money typically is awarded to non-profits, such as the Center of Concern, that offer programming, Pruss said. The agency provides support services, counseling and housing solutions for seniors, the disabled and others in need in the Maine Township area.
“Unfortunately, I think there is a misconception that people in the suburbs have access to more services (than those living in urban areas), ” said John McNabola, executive director for Center of Concern. “We act as the last place for people to turn who need assistance, especially seniors.”
CDBG funds specifically pay for case managers who provide homelessness prevention support, in addition to offering free legal, Medicare, financial and tax preparation counseling services to those who would otherwise not be able to afford it, McNabola said. Most of the center’s clients are Des Plaines residents.
“We have people that walk in our door and say they are going to be homeless in a few days,” said Eric Homer, the center’s program director. But more commonly, he said, the center serves older clients living on fixed incomes who have a hard time paying their bills due to rising housing costs. But slightly younger clients — those who don’t qualify to receive social security benefits — also come looking for help, often because they’ve lost a job and are having difficulty finding another, Homer said.
“We are part of, hopefully, housing solutions for people to help them land in an OK place,” he said.
In addition to surveying organizations such as the Center of Concern, Pruss said city staff are also reaching out to the park district, library, other social service agencies and individual residents to develop a plan for the city.
A draft of the five-year plan will be presented June 1, and a 30-day public comment period will follow, Pruss said. A public hearing on the draft is scheduled for July 6, with a final one slated for Aug. 3, likely followed by a city council vote.