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Cunningham Township board authorizes ETH, HOME‑RRH, ESG and HHI agreements to fund homelessness services
Summary
The board voted unanimously Aug. 18 to authorize the supervisor to sign multiple grants and city agreements that fund emergency housing, rapid rehousing and a CARES team; officials said timing and spending restrictions mean rapid deployment and reimbursement will be required.
Cunningham Township supervisors and trustees on Aug. 18 authorized the supervisor to sign four separate grant and city agreements to support homeless services, including the Illinois Department of Human Services Emergency Transitional Housing (ETH) grant, the HOME Illinois Rapid Rehousing (RRH) grant, the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) that passes HUD funds through the state, and an 18‑month Housing and Homeless Innovation (HHI) award from the City of Urbana.
The board placed the agreements on the consent calendar and approved each resolution by roll call. Supervisor Danielle Chenoweth, who presented the funding details to the board, said the ETH award is the township’s largest at about $530,000 a year and that the HOME, ESG and Urbana HHI funds will be used for rapid rehousing, street outreach and to fund the township’s CARES team.
Why it matters: The grants provide the operating dollars that Cunningham Township and local partners use to keep people in emergency housing, move households into independent housing and operate outreach and case‑management services. Several of the awards carry timing or use restrictions that require quick spending or reimbursement, increasing operational and cash‑flow complexity for local providers.
Most important facts - ETH (IDHS Emergency Transitional Housing): Chenoweth characterized this as the township’s third year of the ETH grant and said it is “about $530,000 a year.” The board adopted resolution T2025‑08‑011R authorizing the supervisor to sign the agreement; Trustee Chandra moved the resolution and Mary Alice (listed in the meeting as Mary Alice/Mary Ellis) seconded it. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Trustee Wu, Trustee Evans, Trustee Colasetti, Trustee Bishop, Trustee Wilkin and Trustee Quisenberry; the motion passed. - HOME Illinois RRH (rapid rehousing): The township approved resolution T2025‑08‑012R to authorize the supervisor to sign the HOME RRH agreement for FY26. Chenoweth said the township’s HOME‑RRH allocation is materially larger this year than last—she referenced figures of about $2.56 million, but the written agreement in the packet lists figures that read $2.45 to $2.61 million; the board approved the resolution (mover: Trustee Grace; second: Jaya). The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Trustee Wu, Trustee Evans, Trustee Colasetti, Trustee Bishop, Trustee Wilkin and Trustee Quisenberry. - Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG): The board approved resolution T2025‑08‑013R authorizing the supervisor to sign the ESG agreement. Chenoweth said ESG funding increased from roughly $73,000 previously to a figure in the packet listed as about $125,680; she further described that roughly $81,000 is allocated for street outreach and about $39,000 for rapid rehousing, with indirect costs included. Jaya moved the resolution and Mary Alice seconded; the roll call recorded affirmative votes from the trustees noted above. - City of Urbana HHI grant for CARES team: The board approved resolution T2025‑08‑014R to accept an 18‑month HHI award from the City of Urbana to support the township’s CARES team. Chenoweth said the township will spend about $120,000 in the current fiscal year and about $80,000 in the second year of the award. The motion was moved by Trustee Chandra and seconded by Trustee Grace; recorded votes were affirmative and the resolution passed.
Discussion, constraints and implementation Chenoweth described how the township used temporary hotel sheltering during a recent heat event and said the HHI and other grants helped staff move residents into permanent housing quickly. “We were able to route 4 of the residents in that short time frame ... into independent housing and have lease offers for them,” Chenoweth said. She also warned trustees about timing constraints related to other funding streams: she said the housing authority’s Move‑to‑Work program has “set aside ... a million dollars to support homeless services. It all has to be spent by the end of the year, and there’s no guarantee of renewal, and it cannot be spent on staffing.” Chenoweth told trustees the township frequently acts on a reimbursement basis because community partners often lack upfront cash flow.
Board direction and next steps Trustees approved the authorizations, enabling the supervisor to sign the agreements and for township staff to pursue the grant‑funded activities described. Chenoweth said staff will apply for additional rapid rehousing dollars and will coordinate with local providers and the housing authority to deploy funds under the time and use restrictions.
Background and context Chenoweth and trustees noted the township’s sponsor‑based voucher program closed in March; the township expected to use about one voucher per month but was able to use fewer because of limitations elsewhere in the system. Trustees and staff discussed the broader regional coordination with the City of Urbana, United Way and the housing authority.
Ending The board made no changes to the grants after discussion and approved each resolution by roll call. Chenoweth and trustees indicated staff will return with implementation details and any required budget adjustments in a future meeting.
