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Community development director reports housing‑rehab progress, contractor shortfall and federal funding outlook
Summary
Director Barbie Brewer Watson told the committee Aug. 4 that 41 housing rehabilitation projects are active, wait lists remain high and the department is recruiting lead‑abatement contractors; federal funding timelines for Healthy Homes and lead programs remain uncertain but CDBG funding was reported as allocated for the year.
Barbie Brewer Watson, director of community development, told the Kankakee City Council Community Development Committee on Aug. 4, 2025, that the department has 41 housing rehabilitation projects under its programs, continuing work on lead abatement and Healthy Homes projects while facing a limited pool of qualified contractors.
"We have 41 projects in total," Director Brewer Watson said, adding that the department completed eight projects since May. She reported a general wait list of 199 people and said the lead program alone still has about 101 people on its wait list.
Brewer Watson said the department shares licensed lead‑abatement contractors with the city of Peoria and is actively recruiting statewide. She said 12 lead projects are in process and that the department recently qualified one contractor from its recruitment efforts; she described calls to roughly 150 certified contractors and a goal of calling 10 per week until the list is exhausted.
On other programs she reported: 14 Healthy Homes projects in progress with four completed in the prior month; seven community‑development housing rehabilitation projects in progress with 10 completed so far this year; and four median income rehabilitation projects either in progress or under contract. She said one demolition contract is being reviewed for federal qualification and the lowest bidder for the fire‑station roof project (Langley Roofing) has cleared federal qualifications pending a completed SAM.gov registration, after which staff will present the low bid for council approval. Brewer Watson said federal environmental review for the Fifth Avenue demolition and the fire station projects had about 10 days remaining at the time of the meeting.
On federal funding, Brewer Watson said Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) allocations for the year total $589,000 and that the federal spending bill remained in Senate committee; she said the Healthy Homes program's current grant runs until October 2025 and the lead program runs until October 2026, and that a current HUD notice of funding opportunity for lead may allow overlapping funding years but applications may not be available again until 2026 if not awarded.
Brewer Watson also reported program funding balances and re‑allocations: public service program spending left approximately $11,484.78 in remaining funds, and HUD approved reallocation of $10,000 of leftover public service funds to housing rehabilitation. She said the private security incentive program had about $3,852.70 remaining and that the department may revisit allocations in the fall.
She emphasized contractor recruitment as the primary operational challenge: "we've gotta have your qualifications for the federal lead abatement program, and then you have to have your state license," Brewer Watson said, urging help in recruiting contractors who will qualify for federal and state requirements.
Brewer Watson said the Community Advisory Board (CAB) was scheduled to meet that week to make allocation recommendations for program years 2025–26 and that the committee should expect presentation of recommendations at the September meeting. No formal committee vote on these items occurred at the Aug. 4 meeting.
