FY2022 Community Project Funding Requests
Community Project Funding Requests FY2022
Earlier this year, the House Appropriations Committee announced it would accept submission of ten community project funding requests from each Member of Congress whereby a specific government entity or not for profit requests funds to carry out a community project within FY22. After the receipt and review of many excellent submissions, the following ten projects were chosen by our office and submitted for consideration. They are listed in alphabetical order.
Transparency
To ensure full accountability and transparency, all projects submitted for consideration by my office are listed below. Documentation to the Committee certifying that neither I nor any member of my immediate family have any financial interest in the projects was also submitted.
For more information or questions regarding member-designated projects, please contact Hilary Denk at hilary.denk@mail.house.gov.
Proposed Recipient | Amount Requested | Description of Project: | Financial Disclosure | |
360 Youth Services 1035 Oswego Rd. Naperville, IL 60540 | $6,600,000 | 360 Youth Services is one of only two major LGBTQ+ homeless and at-risk youth housing organizations within the state of Illinois. 360 Youth Services is seeking a Youth Affordable Housing Resource Center to provide youth-specific housing and homelessness prevention services in DuPage, Kane, Will and the additional surrounding counties. The Center will be a regional access point for trauma-informed mental health care, crisis intervention, family services, vocational training, educational support, rental assistance, legal aid and LGBTQ+ affirming services for ages 13-24. Non-congregate design will provide safe shelter during health emergencies, ability to meet changing needs for shelter, and safe, dignified shelter for youth of all gender identities and sexual orientations. | ||
City of Joliet 150 W. Jefferson St. Joliet, IL 60432 | $4,500,000 | Project funds will be used to replace aged, leaking watermains and service lines, some of them containing lead, in the City of Joliet's distribution system in order to reduce non-revenue water, a requirement to become a Lake Michigan water user. The City of Joliet is in the process of developing a new Lake Michigan water source to replace the City's existing groundwater source, which will no longer be able to meet demands by 2030 | ||
Cornerstone Services 777 Joyce Rd. Joliet, IL 60436 | $1,040,741 | Cornerstone Services provides progressive, comprehensive services for people with disabilities, promoting choice, dignity, and the opportunity to live and work in the community. The agency is a recognized leader in providing the support necessary for individuals with disabilities to live and work in the community and are guided by the belief that people with disabilities are entitled to live in their own communities and make choices for themselves, like everybody else. Cornerstone is seeking funding for the construction of a Wellness Center. The Wellness Center includes additional professional offices, bathrooms, a fitness club, warming kitchen, and a large meeting room. The offices would provide space for nursing, behavioral care, clinical staff, and other professionals dedicated to the holistic well-being of consumers, many of whom are diagnosed with a mental illness or co-occurring mental illness/substance use disorder. The fitness club would be free of charge and provide a safe and accommodating space for those with physical and/or mental disabilities. | ||
Housing Authority of Joliet 6 S. Broadway Joliet, IL 60436 | $9,250,000 | The City of Joliet, Will County and the Chicagoland Metropolitan Region have a substantial deficit of affordable housing units. Affordable housing for low to middle income, working families is currently a priority across the State of Illinois and the nation as a whole to support the continuation of economic growth and diversity in home ownership. HAJ is proposing to purchase a shuttered golf course and utilize the 147 acres to build affordable and market rate housing, homes for a homeownership program and community amenities. The funding would be used for towards Phase 1 of this five year project leading to affordable housing for low to middle income working families to support the economic growth and diversity in local communities. | ||
Joliet Area Historical Museum 204 N. Ottawa St. Joliet, IL 60436 | $3,857,820 | The Old Joliet Prison is primarily managed by the Joliet Area Historical Museum, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit entity, in partnership with the City of Joliet. The funding will be used to course correct the trajectory of the conditions of these buildings and ensure the safety of staff and guests. The Prison Rehabilitation plans has labor and construction partners who are willing to stretch every dollar for maximum use. The project is "shovel ready" and in accordance with the economic recovery from the global pandemic, will help to create and sustain much-needed construction jobs, while restoring an historically and culturally significant site in an economically challenged area of the city. | ||
Public Action to Deliver Shelter, Inc. d/b/a Hesed House 659 S. River St. Aurora, IL 60506 | $1,967,750 | Hesed House is the second-largest homeless shelter in the State of Illinois, and the largest shelter outside of the city of Chicago. This project would convert a 16,000 square foot warehouse space to a 24/7/365 social-distanced shelter connected to their Comprehensive Resource Center (CRC), where case management occurs, helping people with counseling through traumatic experiences, financial guidance, job guidance, and more. Most critically, this project would allow Hesed House to no longer require adults in their overnight emergency shelter program to leave the property during daytime hours. This will create greater access to and engagement in the critical health and human services in the CRC needed by up to 323 guests to end their homelessness. | ||
Quad County Urban League, Inc 1685 N Farnsworth Ave. Aurora, IL 60505 | $427,000 | Quad County Urban League (QCUL) was founded in 1975 by a diverse group of local leaders responding to the absence of a community-based organization to address the needs for academic achievement, job placement and training, equal access to employment, housing and cultural enrichment for low-income and displaced citizens. The QCUL Aurora Youth Careers Program for Construction and TDL (Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics) will serve academically at-risk, homeless and low-income, or unemployed youth, ages 16-24, who are out-of-school or attend Aurora Public Schools and who reside in Congressional District 11. Participants will enroll in the program for education and skills training to enter a registered apprenticeship and/or gain entry-level employment in construction or TDL industries. The Aurora Youth Careers Program will improve the quality of life for low income residents who are lacking constructive job skills. These career opportunities are life changing for residents who are members of historically underrepresented populations. | ||
Stepping Stones, Inc. 1114 N. Larkin Joliet, IL 60435 | $1,983,680 | Stepping Stones, Inc. is a not-for-profit providing clinical services and recovery support for those seeking treatment for substance use disorders. Stepping Stones proposes to construct an 8-unit apartment building on their property at 1621 Theodore Street and 1620 Plainfield Road. Seven units will house a mother and 1 or 2 of her children. Each unit would be 750 sq. ft and include 2 bedrooms and 1 bath. One unit would house a House Manager and an Assistant House Manager. Recovery based housing for women and their children is not available in Joliet and the surrounding area. Lack of access to safe housing and other auxiliary services is a significant barrier to recovery, especially for women with families. | ||
Tri-Council Development Fund 1905 Sequoia Dr., Ste. 201 Aurora, IL 60506 | $962,950 | The Tri-Council Development Fund will develop and facilitate an Industrial Painting Pre-apprenticeship (IPP) program in industrial painting in direct cooperation with unionized industrial painting apprenticeship programs throughout Illinois. The IPP will develop individuals, particularly women and minorities, to enter and continue in the industrial painting trade. Aurora, Illinois-based North Central Illinois Finishing Trades Institute (NCIFTI) will function as the main training partner. The IPP will also be held through apprenticeship programs in Chicago (affiliated with Painters District Council No. 14) and Southern Illinois (Painters District Council No. 58), having an expansive and regional impact. Each program is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor. Funds will support the costs of training and student support services that mitigate barriers to persistence in apprenticeship. | ||
Will-Grundy Medical Clinic 213 E. Cass St. Joliet, IL 60432 | $300,000 | The Will-Grundy Medical Clinic is a not-for-profit organization that provides free medical and dental care to adults who have no health insurance or medical care entitlements. Care is provided by physicians, dentists and other professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to the Clinic. Their Housing, Healthcare and Hope Program (HHH) focuses on facilitating comprehensive healthcare access for individuals who are experiencing housing insecurity/homelessness. They are requesting funds to renovate a 120-year old facility for a program that provides access to comprehensive, quality health care services including behavioral health services coupled with targeted and intensive housing and case management services. The program will provide an addition 1,000 mental health visits per year to Will County, addressing health-related needs of people who are homeless or at-risk Stable housing is fundamental to both maintaining good health and minimizing the costs of unnecessary emergency room utilization and hospital admissions. | ||