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CHAMPAIGN — Next week, Champaign homeowners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will have the opportunity to apply for up to $60,000 in funding for home repairs.
“Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic” might sound like a wide net to cast — and it is, according to Jennifer Carlson, neighborhood programs manager for the city.
“When I heard about this program, I was like, ‘How does someone say they’ve been impacted by COVID? Haven’t we all been impacted?’” Carlson said. “And the answer is pretty much ‘Yes.’”
The brief pre-application form, which Champaign residents can submit March 25-29, essentially serves as a screener for applicants.
Nearly anyone who was alive during the pandemic will qualify, especially considering that one of the qualifiers on the list is having experienced an “increase in expenses” after Jan. 21, 2020.
Other qualifications have to do with the status of homeownership and annual income.
Unlike other programs that only provide funding to people who make less than the area median income, the Vital Home Repair Program is available to people who make up to 150 percent of the area median income.
“I’m hoping that we’ll serve a whole new group of people that we’ve not been able to make an impact for in the past,” Carlson said.
The median income is scaled to household size: If you live alone and make less than $101,550, you could qualify for this program.
Eligible income levels are specified on the city’s website.
Funding for the program came from the Illinois Housing Development Authority as part of the Housing and Homeowner Assistance Fund Home Repair Program.
Since the city decided on $60,000 grants, 14 applicants will be chosen via lottery to receive funding after the pre-application period closes.
“We didn’t want to say ‘first come, first served,’ because we realized that not everybody’s able to be at the City Building door at 8 a.m.,” Carlson said. “By allowing people to submit anytime Monday through Friday, it’s an equal chance to have an opportunity to complete the full application.”
The pre-application window is short because the city is expecting to hear from a high volume of interested homeowners.
Carlson said her team kept the pre-application simple so that everyone wouldn’t have to fill out the longer version.
If any of the first group of 14 applicants don’t qualify, the team will go on to a pool of alternates who will also be chosen by the lottery system.
This pool of alternates will also be eligible for any funding left over, since Carlson’s team isn’t expecting every chosen applicant to use the full $60,000 grant.
Funds will be applied to repairs or upgrades that will make homes safer and more accessible based on the residents’ individual needs.
The city will send building-safety inspectors to look homes over and determine what needs to be done.
“We anticipate we’ll be fixing roofs, we’ll be fixing old mechanical systems like HVAC and some plumbing, if someone needs a ramp, if somebody needs a bathroom modification. … Each rehab is going to be very different,” Carlson said.
According to the project plan, repairs on the first four homes must be completed by the end of this September, and work on all homes involved in the project must be completed by September 2026, but Carlson says the goal is to be done far before the deadline.
Complete details for the Vital Home Repair Program are available on the city’s website under the Neighborhood Services Department, including a PDF of the pre-application.
Pre-applications can be submitted online starting at 9 a.m. Monday or dropped off at the Neighborhood Services Department office.