Central Illinois is seeing a revitalization. That’s the message from State Senator Doris Turner, who recently applauded efforts to bring Decatur, Springfield, and Macon County a combined total of more than $1 million to support community revitalization efforts. Senator Turner says that revitalizing abandoned homes provides opportunities and brings more housing options to the area.
The Illinois Housing Development Authority recently approved $19 million to support affordable housing and community revitalization efforts across the state. The program is called the Strong Communities Program and will provide funding to 68 units of local governments and land bank authorities to acquire, maintain, rehab and demolish abandoned residential properties in their communities.
The second round of Strong Communities Program awardees include Springfield, Decatur, and Macon County, with each receiving $337,000. The grants are funded by the Rebuild Illinois capital plan and will leverage IHDA’s existing funding to increase property values, create jobs, help reduce crime, generate additional tax revenue and attract further community investment in under-served communities around the state. A total of $30 million in grant funding has been awarded through two application rounds.
To learn more about the Stronger Communities Program visit https://ihda.org.
