Joliet presents five‑year CDBG consolidated plan and recommends projects from $926,000 allocation

Jacqueline Lazada, the City of Joliet’s Community Development Block Grant program manager, on Monday presented the draft five‑year consolidated plan (2025–2029) and the proposed annual action plan for program year 2025, describing the documents as the city’s roadmap for CDBG spending and performance targets.

Lazada said the city’s allocation for program year 2025 was “slightly over $926,000,” and she outlined recommended projects across public service, facility improvements, housing rehabilitation and administration. She said the draft plan will be posted for a 30‑day public comment period and submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by Aug. 4.

The five‑year consolidated plan, Lazada told the council, combines a needs assessment, strategic priorities and performance measures that HUD requires for continued funding. “Using the 5 year consolidated plan as a road map, we can visualize each individual program year as a mile marker within that map,” Lazada said during the presentation.

The draft reflects consultations begun in January 2025, she said, including outreach to 46 agencies and 13 neighborhood groups and more than 136 resident survey responses in English and Spanish. Lazada said the consultation process identified five priority categories: affordable housing; economic development and job training; housing rehabilitation; homelessness and mental‑health programs; and parks, playgrounds and green space.

Recommended public‑service awards include Casa of River Valley for youth stability and Guardian ad Litem expansion; Northern Illinois Food Bank for $20,000 to support a senior grocery program and mobile produce distributions including at Marycrest Village Apartments; and Will County Center for Community Concerns for $80,000 for housing counseling and foreclosure‑prevention services. The city is also proposing a $37,000 continuation of its snow removal program for seniors and residents with disabilities.

Facility and capital recommendations listed in Lazada’s presentation include roughly $28,000 for Spanish Community Center security and playground upgrades; $45,000 for UCP (Center for Disability Services) lighting and sensory‑friendly improvements; $128,000 for Stepping Stones to replace two metal stairways required by fire code; and $120,000 for Easterseals to purchase and install a commercial generator to address repeated power outages that have disrupted children's outpatient health services and on‑site daycare.

Lazada said the city accepted 18 applications this cycle, saw an increase in eligible proposals compared with prior years, and has set aside $150,000 for a minor home repair program and another $150,000 to provide technical assistance and capacity building in English and Spanish for local entrepreneurs and grassroots organizations. She also said the city worked with Will County staff to jointly review duplicative applications and coordinate funding recommendations.

Mayor Terry Darcy and other council members thanked Lazada for the outreach and the expanded application support. Lazada said the full draft consolidated plan is a 97‑page report that will be posted on the city website and made available in paper form at city libraries, and that any identified needs not met by this year’s recommendations would be considered for reallocation of unspent prior‑year funds.

The council scheduled a public hearing on the plan for the next meeting; formal adoption will follow after the 30‑day public comment period and HUD review.