Single Family Rehabilitation Program

The Single Family Rehabilitation Program provides funding up to $15,000 to eligible application-homeowners for home repair and improvements to correct code violations, address health and safety issues, provide accessibility improvements and fix system failures.

Note:  There is no assurance by the Community Development Commission of DuPage County that the maximum allowable grant of $15,000 will be expended for the repair or rehabilitation of any eligible applicant’s property.

Eligibility 

Rehabilitation requests are accepted by referral only.  Homeowners interested in receiving work through the single family rehab program MUST be referred from one of the following programs:

• DuPage County Programs including Weatherization and Senior Services – Contact 630-407-6500.
• Local Municipality for the purpose of addressing code violations – Contact the Municipality the violation is from.
• Unincorporated DuPage County Areas for the purpose of addressing code violations - Contact 630-407-6700.

For general questions, please contact 630-407-6500

Eligible Activities

• Correction of code violations cited by DuPage County or municipal code inspection, with exceptions for driveway, sidewalk, garage, deck, and landscaping issues as discussed below.  Please note that if the rehabilitation is funded with HOME Investment Partnership program funds, all code violations must be able to be corrected within the maximum loan amount or the rehabilitation will not be undertaken.
• Health and safety issues that put the household at risk of injury or disease or that prevent the dwelling from receiving assistance under the DuPage County Weatherization Program or prevent a unit from receiving the maximum benefit of the Weatherization program
• Repair or replacement of the following components or systems because of system failure, code violation, or recommendation through a Weatherization assessment, not for cosmetic purposes.  Quality of materials shall be those that can be obtained at mid-level pricing
  
  • Foundations, basements, and/or crawl spaces, (only for purposes of water sealing or moisture removal).  This program is not able to deal with major foundation issues.
  • Exterior walls and siding
  • Roof and roof systems
  • Doors, windows and window frames (shall meet the energy efficiency of, but not exceed the quality of, windows installed under the DuPage County Weatherization Program)
  • Porches, stairs and railings
• Interior walls, and ceilings (only if condition poses actual health & safety threat:  e.g. ceiling is coming down)
• Well and septic systems
• Water and sewer connections, if such service is available 
• Electrical systems and fixtures
• Plumbing systems and fixtures
• Heating and cooling systems
• Hot water heaters
• Insulation
• Air sealing
• Chimney repair/tuckpointing
  
  
• Flooring (only if a medical or accessibility issue; e.g. allergies necessitate removal of carpet or current flooring poses a mobility issue for person with disabilities)
• Painting, only if condition of exterior paint is a code violation
• Demolition of substandard buildings on the property if their condition constitutes a code violation or danger
  
  
• Landscaping, sidewalks, garages, decks, and driveways – only if health & safety issue or code violation and the cost of such is incidental to other rehabilitation of the property.  For purposes of the DuPage County program, incidental shall mean that the combined total rehabilitation cost of these items shall be less than 25% of the total rehabilitation costs.
  
  
• Work in basements:  If a basement is not taxable square footage, only code violations and health and safety issues may be corrected.  For example, mold remediation may be performed in a basement.   Other restoration work will be performed on a “do no harm” basis, which means that damage to the basement or garage caused by performing eligible work may be repaired.  For example, if all the drywall in a basement must be removed because of mold, drywall will not be replaced, because no code standard requires drywall in a basement. However, if  a portion of drywall must be removed, or if a fixture in a basement must be removed due to mold, and such removal leaves a wall partially damaged or a gap in a wall, floor, or ceiling due to fixture removal, the drywall or gap may be repaired (without replacement of the fixture).  
  
  
• Accessibility improvements available only to households with a severely disabled member meeting the following HUD definition:
  

  Persons are considered severely disabled if they:  

  • Use a wheelchair or another special aid for 6 months or longer; or
  • Are unable to perform one or more functional activities (seeing, hearing, having one’s speech understood, lifting and carrying, walking up a flight of stairs and walking); or 
  • Need assistance with activities of daily living (getting around inside the home, getting in or out of bed or a chair, bathing, dressing, eating and toileting) or instrumental activities or daily living (going outside the home, keeping track of  money or bills, preparing meals, doing light housework and using the telephone); or 
  • Are prevented from working at a job or doing housework; or
  • Have a selected condition including autism, cerebral palsy, Alzheimer’s disease, senility or dementia or mental retardation; or
  • Are under 65 years of age and are covered by Medicare or receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Work to be performed must be eligible under applicable Federal regulations and shall be for the purpose of providing greater accessibility or diminishment of impairment for the severely disabled household member.  It could include such items as, but not be limited to, installation of wheelchair ramps, railings, bathroom grab bars, accessible doorknobs, or a warning system for the hearing impaired.  All work performed must fix a condition or install a “fixture.”  

 Ineligible Activities

• New construction of room additions, fireplaces, sheds, or garages
• Foundation work beyond water sealing
• Painting and staining (unless condition of exterior paint is a code violation)
• Cabinets and counter tops
• Flooring (unless medical or accessibility issue)
• Repair of swimming pools and/or pool liners
• Repair of damage covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy
• Purchase or repair of appliances
• Window treatments
• Purely cosmetic or convenience improvements
• Reimbursement of previously done work
• Landscaping, sidewalks, garages, decks, and driveways – if the combined total rehabilitation cost of these items is greater than 25% of the total rehabilitation costs.
  
  

Page last updated 04/29/2022