CHICAGO – Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich today announced almost $1 million in funding for the rehabilitation of 39 owner occupied homes throughout Central Illinois.  These home improvements will drastically enhance the living environments and quality of life for low-income and disabled Central Illinois residents, as well as building the capacity for more economic growth.  This aggressive effort to improve living conditions for the region’s most underserved residents is part of the Governor’s Opportunity Returns initiative, his comprehensive, pro-active strategy for enhancing economic opportunity across Central Illinois.

“The fundamental goal of Opportunity Returns is to expand greater economic opportunity to the people in Central Illinois.  But if people are struggling to meet their basic survival needs, the opportunity for economic advancement is only a dream.  By refurbishing these homes and creating a safer place to live, we’re helping meet the essential needs of these hardworking men and women so that they can build better lives,” Gov. Blagojevich said.     

The funds for this initiative are part of the Community Development Assistance Program (CDAP), a federally-funded grant program that assists Illinois communities by providing grants to local governments to help them in financing economic development, public facilities and housing rehabilitation projects.  The program is targeted to assist low-to-moderate income people by creating job opportunities and improving the quality of their living environment.  The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) administers the program.

“So often we see money invested into revitalizing business districts or old industrial sites, but rarely are resources invested in revitalizing residential neighborhoods to make them a stronger and more secure place to live.  Gov. Blagojevich is doing exactly that through this housing grant program, and our communities will become better places to live and work because of it,” State Senator Deanna Demuzio (D-Carlinville) said.

“By revamping these 39 individual homes throughout the area, this housing grant program is really revitalizing our entire region.  Gov. Blagojevich understands that any economic development plan with real muscle must work at the community level, and these housing grants are a great illustration of that idea at work,” State Representative Gary Hannig (D-Gillespie) said.

Gov. Blagojevich has developed the following objectives for the CDAP program:

• Strengthen community economic development through the creation of jobs, stimulation of private investment and strengthening the tax base

• Improvement of public infrastructure and elimination of conditions which are detrimental to health, safety and public welfare; and

• Conservation and expansion of the state's housing stock in order to provide a decent home and a suitable living environment for persons of low-to-moderate income and the developmentally disabled.

These CDAP grants being provided to Central Illinois fall under the third objective.  They are designed to help provide safe and sanitary living conditions for low-to-moderate income residents. 

The Central region’s housing improvements are as follows:
        

LOCATION	DESCRIPTION	COST
Village of Brighton Macoupin	Rehabilitate 14 owner occupied homes	$322,000
Village of East Gillespie Macoupin	Rehabilitate 12 owner occupied homes	$326,000
City of Mount Olive Macoupin	Rehabilitate 13 owner occupied homes	$324,000
		Total: $972,000

Last year, under the Governor’s direction, a 35-member Housing Task Force consisting of advocates, developers, lenders, and state agency representatives developed the 2005 Building for Success: Illinois’ Comprehensive Housing Plan - the first statewide housing plan to increase affordable housing options to help six priority populations, including low income people with disabilities and people unable to find affordable housing near jobs or transportation.

Since 2003, the state has helped 31,600 low and moderate income families and individuals across the state become homebuyers, rehabilitate their homes and find affordable rental accommodation with more than $2 billion in financing.  1,700 of these families and individuals live in the Central region and received funding totaling $109 million.

“Gov. Blagojevich believes that a grassroots approach to economic development is the only one that truly works, and these Opportunity Returns grants we’re providing to Central Illinois are a textbook example of that grassroots approach in action  Time and again, we’re seeing that community revitalization efforts such as these make business attraction, retention and job creation much more viable,” DCEO Director Jack Lavin said.

Gov. Blagojevich’s Opportunity Returns regional economic development strategy is the most aggressive, comprehensive approach to creating jobs in Illinois’ history.  Since a one-size-fits-all approach to economic development just doesn’t work, the Governor has divided the state into 10 regions – each with a regional team that is empowered and expected to rapidly respond to opportunities and challenges.  Opportunity Returns is about tangible, specific actions to make each region more accessible, more marketable, more entrepreneurial and more attractive to businesses.  It is about upgrading the skills of the local workforce, increasing the access to capital, opening new markets, improving infrastructure, and creating and retaining jobs.  Opportunity Returns is about successfully partnering with companies and communities, both large and small, to help all of Illinois reach its economic potential.