Urbana approves roughly $2.1 million in Housing and Homeless Innovations grants to local providers

Urbana council members on the committee of the whole approved a package of resolutions to award second‑round Housing and Homeless Innovations (HHI) grants that together allocate just over $2.1 million to local organizations providing shelter, outreach and housing services to people experiencing homelessness. The council bundled the awards and placed them on the consent agenda for approval at the next city council meeting.

The HHI round 2 program, described by city staff as a follow-up to a 2022 program, pools federal and local funding to support noncongregate shelter, street outreach, case management and the development of affordable rental housing. Staff said the total pool made available for round 2 was $2,250,000 and the recommended awards call for just over $2.1 million in subrecipient agreements.

City staff listed the recommended subrecipients as CU at Home; the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission; Champaign County Healthcare Consumers; Strides Shelter; Cunningham Township Supervisor’s Office; First Followers; and Hope Village. The staff presentation estimated that the combined awards would: improve access to public benefits for about 500 people experiencing homelessness; expand street outreach to about 200 people; provide case management and housing navigation to about 600 people; create 35 affordable rental units; and add 32 shelter beds.

Funding for the HHI round 2 package was described as coming from multiple sources: $1.5 million from the city’s federal HOME-ARP grant, $300,000 from the city of Urbana’s ARPA allocation, $200,000 from the city general fund and $250,000 from an Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) grant. Staff said those sums were combined to underwrite the single HHI round.

Council member Mary Alice moved to add the resolution for Cappella’s liquor license and the HHI subrecipient agreements to the consent agenda earlier in the meeting; council member Jaya seconded the omnibus motions to bundle the HHI grant resolutions. The committee voiced no objections to bundling or placing the HHI items on the consent agenda.

The staff presentation included a project‑level note about Hope Village’s proposed tiny‑house development: the HHI contribution was described as one funding source filling a gap in a larger financing package. The presenter listed other commitments cited in the meeting materials, including a DCEO grant described in the memorandum as $1,200,000, $7,000,000 from the Illinois Housing Development Authority, $1,800,000 from a source in the materials described verbally as “Carl” (the transcript use of that name is unclear), $1,000,000 from the University of Illinois and $24,000 representing housing authority voucher commitments. Staff clarified the HHI contribution is intended to fill a remaining funding gap rather than fully finance the construction of all 30 tiny‑house units.

The presentation noted the HHI ranking and review committee included staff from Urbana and Champaign and representatives from United Way of Champaign County and the Champaign County Continuum of Service Providers to the Homeless. Staff said applications for round 2 opened Jan. 6, 2025, and closed Feb. 5, 2025.

If approved on the consent agenda at the next city council meeting, the awards will proceed under individual subrecipient agreements between the city and each organization. The resolutions and related memoranda in the meeting packet list program descriptions, the proposed awards and the intended service outcomes.

The council did not debate or revise the dollar figures during the committee discussion and no recorded roll‑call vote tally appeared in the committee transcript; motions were approved by voice and advanced to the consent agenda for final action at the city council meeting.