DuPage County: A HUD Entitlement Community

HUD has classified DuPage County as an Entitlement Community. The CDBG entitlement program allocates annual grants to larger cities and urban counties to develop viable communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and opportunities to expand economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons.

Each year, HUD awards each entitlement community a grant, calculated with a formula utilizing several objective measures of community needs, including the extent of poverty, population, housing overcrowding, age of housing and population growth lag in relationship to other metropolitan areas.

HUD awards grants to entitlement community grantees to carry out a wide range of community development activities directed toward revitalizing neighborhoods, economic development, and providing improved community facilities and services.

Entitlement communities develop their own programs and funding priorities. However, grantees must give maximum feasible priority to activities which benefit low- and moderate-income persons. The funding priorities for DuPage are outlined in the 5-year Consolidated Plan.

CDC Overview - Annual Grants

The DuPage County Community Development Commission (CDC) was established in 1975 as a cooperative effort of DuPage municipalities and the County Board. The primary responsibility of the CDC is to advise the County Board on the following programs:

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) -  The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program is a flexible program that provides communities with resources to address a wide range of unique community development needs. The CDBG entitlement program allocates annual grants to larger cities and urban counties to develop viable communities by providing decent housing, a suitable living environment, and opportunities to expand economic opportunities, principally for low- and moderate-income persons. Nonprofit agencies/townships generally apply for this funding.

CDBG Application information: DuPage County IL – Community Services - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Neighborhood Investment - The CDC also has a Neighborhood Investment, Community-Wide Benefit, Accessibility Improvements, and Planning Projects category that addresses the needs of low-to moderate-income neighborhoods by providing funding for capital improvements. This grant is generally used by municipalities/townships for capital improvement projects that benefit a defined low to moderate-income service area. The service area must be primarily residential.  Eligibility is determined utilizing either Low-Moderate Income Data or by conducting an Income Survey. Planning projects are the only non-capital projects in this category.

CDBG Neighborhood Investment Application information: DuPage County IL – Community Development Commission - Neighborhood Investment 

Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) - The Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) program is designed to improve the quality of existing emergency shelters, make available additional emergency shelters, help meet the cost of operating emergency shelters, and provide essential social services to homeless individuals. The ESG program ensures that the homeless have access not only to safe and sanitary shelter but also to supportive services and other kinds of assistance needed to improve their situations. The program is also intended to reduce homelessness through the funding of preventive programs and activities.  Nonprofit agencies apply for this grant.

ESG Application Information: DuPage County IL – Community Services - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)

HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) - HOME is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households. HOME funds are allocated annually to entitlement communities like DuPage County to fund a wide range of activities that build, buy, and/or rehabilitate affordable housing for rent or homeownership or provide direct rental assistance to low-income people. It is used to support development of rental or owner housing affordable to low-income persons. The application process is available all year round. There is no deadline date.

HOME Investment Partnership Application Information: DuPage County IL – Community Development Commission - Affordable Housing Financing

Single Family Rehab Program - The Single Family Rehabilitation Program provides CDBG 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. Homeowners apply for this grant. The application process is available all year round. There is no deadline date.

Single Family Rehab Program Application Information: DuPage County IL – Single Family Rehab

CDC Funding Process

Projects funded by the CDBG, HOME, and ESG programs are selected from individual applications submitted by the municipalities, the County, and many non-profit groups. The selection process requires several steps before final approval of projects. Annual applications are generally due to the CDC in October, the CDC completes its recommendations by January, and the County Board takes final action in February. The funds are available to start new activities after the County receives HUD's grant agreement for that funding year.  Administration of each project is done through a Subgrantee Agreement with a sharing of responsibility between the Subgrantee and the CDC Staff.

Activities funded by the HOME program are selected from individual applications that may be submitted by local governments, non-profit groups, or for-profit housing developers or investors. Applications are submitted on a rolling basis. There is a three-stage process of approval. The first two steps are actions taken by the HOME Advisory Group and include a preliminary set-aside of funds and a conditional commitment of funds. The final step is approval by the County Board of an agreement between the county and the recipient of funds.

Additional Grants - No New Applications Being Accepted

Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) - The Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) Program was made available through Public Law 116-136 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) signed by the President on March 27, 2020.  DuPage County is receiving Community Development Block Grant-Coronavirus Response (CDBG-CV) funds under this Public Law as a result of a Presidential declaration of a nationwide emergency, pursuant to section 501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)).  This declaration was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  These funds can only for projects that clearly prevent, prepare for, and/or respond to coronavirus. Funding has been awarded to various agencies. 

CDBG-CV Application Information: DuPage County IL – Community Services - Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG)

Emergency Solutions Grant-Coronavirus (ESG-CV) -  The Emergency Solutions Grant-Coronavirus (ESG-CV) Program was made available through Public Law 116-136 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) signed by the President on March 27, 2020.  DuPage County is receiving Emergency Solutions Grant-Coronavirus (ESG-CV) funds under this Public Law as a result of a Presidential declaration of a nationwide emergency, pursuant to section 501(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5191(b)). This declaration was in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.  These funds can only be used for projects to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, among individuals and families who are homeless or receiving homeless assistance and to support additional homeless assistance and homelessness prevention activities to mitigate the impacts created by coronavirus under the Emergency Solutions Grants program as authorized under subtitle B of title IV of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11371 et seq.), as amended.  Funding has been awarded to various agencies

Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Assistance (CDBG-DR) -  DuPage County will be received Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery Grant (CDBG-DR) in the amount of $31,526,000 in accordance with the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013 (Public Law 113-2).  This grant was made available through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to assist disaster recovery efforts in response to declared major disasters occurring in DuPage County in April 2013.  Funding has been awarded to various agencies.

CDBG-DR Additional information: DuPage County IL – Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery Assistance

Page last revised 09/22/2022