Community development director: Healthy Homes grant extended; CDBG reimbursements delayed until October

Community development director Barbara Brewer Watson told the Kankakee City Council Community Development Committee on Oct. 6 that the Healthy Homes grant received a six-month extension to allow contractors to finish outstanding projects.

The extension covers projects that were under contract but not yet through final inspection, Watson said. She told the committee that the city has 34 construction projects in process across several programs and that none of those projects completed the final inspection in September.

The extension comes as the city also received its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) agreement near the end of September; Watson said the timing means the city will begin submitting more reimbursements in October, rather than in May as originally anticipated.

Why it matters: unfinished work can delay household repairs and slow grant closeouts; the extension preserves funding and lets contractors finish while the city processes invoices for reimbursement.

Watson provided program-by-program counts: eight projects in the lead/Lehi program, 13 active Healthy Homes projects, six CDBG housing rehabilitation projects currently in progress (with six CDBG rehab projects completed since May and 12 since January), and three projects in the MIRA program. She said roofs and electrical or foundation work account for many active phases and that colder weather will limit roof work soon.

On contractor capacity, Watson said three new contractors were recruited for the lead/Lehi program: two have onboarded, a third is completing qualifications and registration. She said the department will continue contractor outreach to avoid further delays.

On the federal government shutdown's effect on grant administration, Watson said payments remain an essential function and the city has access to its payment systems. She cautioned, however, that nonessential tasks such as approval of change orders or new contract approvals could be delayed if grant representatives are unavailable.

Watson also reported completed public-facility work: roofs at Fire Station 4 and Fire Station 6 are in final closeout and invoices were received for payment. She closed by thanking grant representatives who worked in late September to secure agreements and prepare for the possible shutdown.

Any matters of record: committee members did not take a formal vote on program changes during the report; the briefing was informational.