CDAP GRANTS HELP SMALL COMMUNITIES MEET PUBLIC FACILITIES, HOUSING NEEDS By JAN M. GRAYSON, Director Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs

Providing safe, decent housing and promoting public health and safety are among the most important duties of any city, town or village. Unfortunately, many small communities face difficulty meeting this charge — both aging infrastructure and rapid growth can lead to problems.

In Illinois, small communities can get help through the Community Development Assistance Program (COAP). Funded through the federal government's Community Development Block Grant for small cities, CDAP grants are administered by the Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. The grants are awarded on a statewide, competitive basis to local governments in communities with populations of 50,000 or less that are not located within one of the six large urban counties that receive funds directly from the federal government.

Illinois' CDAP has four components: economic development grants, typically awarded to assist a community in retaining or attracting a business opportunity; public facilities grants, often used to help communities construct or update water and sewer systems to alleviate a threat to public health or safety; housing grants, which help ensure that safe, decent housing is available to low- and moderate-income families; and emergency public facilities grants, which can be essential to communities that have experienced needs due to a flood, tornado or other emergency.

Over the past decade, DCCA has awarded millions of dollars in CDAP grants to assist small Illinois communities in improving the lives of their citizens; in fact, since 1984, DCCA has awarded more than $97 million in CDAP grants under the public facilities and housing components alone. Earlier this year, the Department awarded $7 million in public facilities grants to 31 communities, and awarded $4 million to 26 communities to assist in housing rehabilitation efforts.

Communities receiving public facilities grants this year include: Athens, Bement, Breese, Brown County, Bushnell, Carbondale Township, Diamond, Donovan, Exeter, Fairbury, Grafton, Hamilton County, Hebron, luka, Kingston Mines, McLeansboro, Macoupin County, Mound City, Mt. Vernon, Ottawa, Ridgway, St. David, Schuyler County, Seneca, Sparta, Stanford, Toluca, Trenton, Vermilion, Villa Grove and West Frankfort.

Housing rehabilitation grants this year have been awarded to: Barry, Benton, Browning, Cambria, Centreville, Edwards County, Freeport, Fulton County, Harrisburg, Herrin, Macomb, McLeansboro, Orient, Pulaski County, Rankin, Ripley, Shawneetown, Sun River Terrace, Tazewell County, Ullin, Union County, Villa Grove, Wabash County, Wayne County, West Frankfort and White County.

DCCA is now reviewing the latest round of applications under the public facilities component, with awards expected near the end of September. Applications for CDAP housing rehabilitation grants are due to the Department by October 1, 1991.

DCCA staff are available to answer any questions you may have regarding the Community Development Assistance Program. Contact Mark Gauss at 217-785-6156. •

August 1991 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 19