[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6249663,"mediaKeyId","3204925-f59e8e3bbdee11ac4048d74cfbb1ecc3","parentId",3204925,"title","High school students tell city they want jobs, entertainment and fewer blighted properties","audioSeconds",386,"startMs",2274000,"endMs",2660000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3204925-f59e8e3bbdee11ac4048d74cfbb1ecc3&start=2274&end=2660","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3204925-f59e8e3bbdee11ac4048d74cfbb1ecc3/thumbnail_2274000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6249663/Kankakee-City/Kankakee-County/Illinois/High-school-students-tell-city-they-want-jobs-entertainment-and-fewer-blighted-properties","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6249663-4bc8ef098e04d89933777db549886f8a/orig.mp4?Expires=1775052205&Signature=O4FC9ha8bP5WOsW9IoQy37DHdcJchLYMT5AN2GtIhA6yHR3s9VhJDHSCghHMaeVTMeNhS6eH8-ViAM87ZelPAH1jl1jlMyXjKhA55OWhURbvzMa7fc6oK~13FPQ7-NwHXrrF~sZnbJWX5N-eJaaTPNjaGdFXBOZfc8qbfHDBGWVS3B2glrOvsJ1uBu2k-CE8DOv9XDt8AEHPxqGXJ7f~3VgTeqQeIw9d8dZg9QAiWKZ4YtnQ90CACg8Tvs75iqyOiSXNILyEfRJttdbTW6x19UCkBroVRJv990r9il8AsGie4AdKyi1jyxHOs7O0cvbQCPYPVCEdSCkszAWAFTcKtA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Kankakee, IL","date","2025-05-06T11:51:03Z","article","Marlena and ECDA staff presented results from community-conversation sessions held in High School government classes during the May 5 committee meeting.

The data matter because youth priorities feed into the five-year plan connected to the city's CDBG funding and help the city shape workforce and placemaking work aimed at retaining young residents.

Marlena said students were asked to identify top priorities and that the results closely mirrored citywide community conversations: students prioritized employment opportunities, blight and housing. She said students repeatedly expressed a desire for local employment and entertainment options rather than traveling outside Kankakee.

\"Most students said no. They are not planning to stay,\" Marlena said when asked whether students intend to remain in Kankakee after graduation. Staff emphasized that young people’s plans can change but that the city should account for current sentiments when forming long-term development and workforce strategies.

Students praised local food and access to nature, walking trails and the river as positives. But many respondents said Kankakee lacks safe, engaging places for teens to gather; staff noted students named places they travel to outside the city for social and recreational options.

ECDA staff said the classroom sessions reached roughly 50 high-school students and that the findings will be added to the citywide community-conversations dataset to inform the CDBG five-year plan and future youth-focused programming.

Ending: staff offered to share raw comments and survey outputs with committee members and to continue including youth voices in future community outreach.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Kankakee - Community Development Committee Livestream","oneSentenceSummary","ECDA staff shared results from community-conversation sessions conducted in high school government classes: students rated employment, blight and housing among top concerns, said they want more places to spend time, and most said they do not plan to remain in Kankakee after graduation.","taxTitle","Kankakee City, Kankakee County, Illinois","taxId",4543,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6249668,"Committee hears ECDA overview: continuum-of-care gaps, uncertain shelter capacity and dwindling hotel vouchers",968,1290000,2258000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3204925-f59e8e3bbdee11ac4048d74cfbb1ecc3&start=1290&end=2258","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3204925-f59e8e3bbdee11ac4048d74cfbb1ecc3/thumbnail_1290000.jpg","/articles/6249668/Kankakee-City/Kankakee-County/Illinois/Committee-hears-ECDA-overview-continuum-of-care-gaps-uncertain-shelter-capacity-and-dwindling-hotel-vouchers","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6249668-28a7f45e7535dac3c5f39eb340cdb6ea/orig.mp4?Expires=1775052205&Signature=TFxs1nyXrH3spQbcLi841kzpwf3HVnqLAanDAG2mKwfTmmWvin3J9lyf6ajaWjVcN~~dMu1fb2Iw9McMnMn-uy2PeTaFUxfO7a9cep1NI43Z2qp8bH0WX9Q-MEde5jfgDbKGchrKLMPqfE3FhxdvI7HPK5Z31Iwo1FnyhAiIoJUWlY5scN~4P53ypPdxbPL6oROursY1nAOSmfLdmknhat~7t0UTbMcKVY98tXC5fb38Pr0oXI1orpqpoitcg1d1iVQQ2RX3rtiP2YVg22Xdav-8U2nO7KWsDka0JUsm92I6~WlO5ajcG5k03IX-92XLTkw-mt09nX65eppb8h5ytA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Barbie Watson, ECDA director, asked staff to present a general overview of homelessness services in the region and the Kankakee area during the committee's May 5 meeting.

The update matters because committee members said they should understand current shelter capacity and funding gaps before recommending systemwide strategies and municipal cost-sharing.

\"We have a lot of gaps in the, what we call, the continuum of care services,\" said Marlena (staff member), summarizing work to map services and identify gaps for families, veterans and people experiencing long-term street homelessness. She said the Continuum of Care (CoC) leadership recently transitioned to the Center for Human Services and that local coordination has improved since the transition: \"Since this transition has happened, this leadership has been way more accommodating, way more communicative.\"

Marlena said the regional CoC spans 11 counties and that locally a HUB CoC (Kankakee and Iroquois County) meets monthly. Staff reported specific gaps in services for large families: \"We don't have any locations or shelters that are able or equipped to serve such large families,\" she said, and a Regional Office of Education representative said 40 more children had entered homelessness since the previous monthly meeting.

Committee members raised questions about emergency-shelter capacity. ECDA staff said some options vary day to day: Fortitude operates an emergency shelter some nights, Harbor House availability fluctuates, and staff had not received a clear update about the operational status of Gift of God shelter. Marlena said, \"We've been trying to get clarity on that for the last couple weeks, and we don't have an answer about Gift of God.\" She added that some organizations had stopped attending CoC meetings and that HUD technical-assistance funding had been eliminated.

On hotel vouchers, a committee member asked whether vouchers remain available for short-term placement; staff answered that as of the most recent CoC meeting, \"no organization expressed having any hotel vouchers available.\" Marlena said many voucher programs are state funded and those cycles often restart in July, making supply seasonal.

ECDA staff described ongoing efforts: an asset-mapping of local providers, participation in a weekly \"binding list\" that reviews individuals by name, and work on a \"shelter funding strategy\" to align grant applications, reduce barriers and propose collaborative leadership. Watson said the city team would take a leadership role in coordinating and helping smaller agencies navigate funding and reporting requirements.

No formal motions were made; staff said they will continue outreach to Fortitude and other providers to get operational timelines and will return to the committee with mapping and funding-strategy work for consideration.","ECDA staff told the Community Development Committee the regional Continuum of Care has capacity gaps across shelter, rapid rehousing and family services, local shelters’ operating status is variable, and hotel voucher availability has largely run out.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6249673,"ECDA reports 45 active housing projects, demolition and roof bids to be reissued",777,293000,1070000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3204925-f59e8e3bbdee11ac4048d74cfbb1ecc3&start=293&end=1070","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3204925-f59e8e3bbdee11ac4048d74cfbb1ecc3/thumbnail_293000.jpg","/articles/6249673/Kankakee-City/Kankakee-County/Illinois/ECDA-reports-45-active-housing-projects-demolition-and-roof-bids-to-be-reissued","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6249673-d8382096ae99d814a6b12f9187b6c1d9/orig.mp4?Expires=1775052205&Signature=NqKX9o5qX1YWGSPPjhjIgi8qPkqed4tDsokfgdlv7IQSr849ZRWJJw1~2ITV~tM~~Ao3fVCCitm0Z2WyP7oEHOwtEBILLA-vseKEG42OZmUZwwR8Wx4hjSaI8op35xbnijYuvjWvQQuvXb9oblOlG9PhDlDdHAPQJdcsSPwk8ER3ORLJVz3SfctJ-wrOwsIcQbfb4kqq67~HV08a7QEx8BGZ~tpyBLMmM04ABj3IGlkhr6xtnZaF9yZeCT7HAsq-Z7hpVnd8ZKjMQ5DOFuDmRlBCqTo2MeFrn9qGyu66aJ2AOyvIC8zJoDsi6jYJ48Db6Z0slYXjK9WaeGbxSBrHbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Barbara Watson, ECDA director, told the Community Development Committee on May 5 that the Economic and Community Development Agency has 45 construction projects active across the city and projects in every ward.

The update matters because these programs — funded through federal grants and local allocations — deliver housing rehabilitation, lead abatement and other repairs to low-income residents and influence waiting lists and contractor schedules.

\"We have 45 projects that are in progress right now, various stages from inspection to rehab, clearance,\" Watson said. She said the agency completed 19 housing-rehab projects in the previous fiscal year and expects more completions this year as the new fiscal year begins.

Watson reported program wait lists: a general wait list of 201 applicants and a lead-abatement wait list of 95 people. She said the ECDA has seven projects in progress under a program the transcript calls the \"lehi program\" and 17 in-process healthy-homes projects; the healthy-homes monthly goal remains five projects. For the Community Development Block Grant housing-rehab side, she said the annual goal is 23 homes and there were 12 in progress.

On demolition and public-facility work, Watson said the Fifth Avenue demolition will be reissued for bids after an earlier error in the bidding process and that the public-facility roof project bids will also be published this week. \"The published announcement is gonna be out on Wednesday... So we're going out to bid from our error in the previous bid process,\" she said, adding staff want the work completed this summer so allocated money is spent.

Watson said estimates for a roof project had previously come back higher than anticipated and that staff are working to attract more local bidders. She said prior bids included \"a lot of extra stuff in it, and it was way more than what it was what it needed to be.\" On the demolition, she said work will be re-bid via the city clerk's website and ECDA pages.

On the community-outreach side, Watson and Maya Pedigu, assistant director, highlighted a Day of Action that drew more than 150 volunteers and 14 projects, which the ECDA said built goodwill with residents and partners. Watson also credited staff social-media work: she singled out two employees for a post that has been shared widely and generated large reach about an EMT who became a city employee.

Watson noted the ECDA is collecting final reports from CDBG public-service grantees (including Catholic Charities, Eastside and We Stand For Christ Jesus Ministries) and said applications for the next fiscal year were under review with community-advisory board input; she said a recommendation on allocations is anticipated in June.

The committee did not take formal votes on the program items during the presentation; ECDA staff described next steps for bidding and for continuing program intake and reporting.

Ending note: the ECDA said staff will post bid notices on the ECDA and city-clerk websites and expects to return to committee with formal recommendations on award and allocation as those procurement processes conclude.","Kankakee Economic and Community Development Agency reported 45 active construction projects, ongoing waitlists for lead abatement and healthy-homes work, and plans to re-bid a Fifth Avenue demolition and public-facility roof project; staff also highlighted community outreach and a volunteer Day of Action.","actionData","errors"]

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High school students tell city they want jobs, entertainment and fewer blighted properties

Committee hears ECDA overview: continuum-of-care gaps, uncertain shelter capacity and dwindling hotel vouchers

ECDA reports 45 active housing projects, demolition and roof bids to be reissued