DuPage County highlights affordable-housing projects, 211 accreditation and rent relief as strategic priorities

DuPage County’s Strategic Planning Committee on June 10 heard progress reports on affordable-housing projects, expanded family services and emergency rent assistance as part of the county’s community‑well‑being strategic priority.

Mary, a staff member in DuPage County’s Department of Community Services, told the committee the county is supporting three affordable housing projects. One senior development in Addison is under construction and staff expect occupancy to begin in 2025; two other projects — one in Naperville and one in Glen Ellyn — remain in underwriting. Mary said the Naperville project is planned as a 71‑unit building for seniors and people with disabilities, and the Glen Ellyn development will reserve units for households at or below 60% of area median income. She added the county is using federal HOME funds for all three projects and noted that housing development typically requires many financing sources and can take years before groundbreaking.

The committee also heard updates on county human‑services programs. Mary said a security guard funded for the county Family Center has enabled daytime neutral exchanges and more supervised parenting-time visits. She told the committee judges from juvenile court have referred some reunification and foster‑care cases to the center for support.

On mediation and self‑sufficiency, Mary reported performance measures the county tracks: "74 percent of the participants in our mediation program are satisfied with the outcome," she said, and "90 percent were satisfied with the process." She said the Family Self‑Sufficiency program — a long‑term case management program tied to Housing Choice Vouchers and public benefits — increased its successful completion rate from 47 percent in 2024 to a projected 57 percent in 2025, with a five‑year target of 60 percent.

County staff described emergency rent assistance still being distributed through a mix of federal and state funding streams. Mary said the program partners with outside agencies including People’s Resource Center and Catholic Charities; households receiving assistance have averaged just over $6,000 per household. She said funds that remain in the county program will expire in September and staff are working to distribute remaining awards.

Mary told the committee DuPage County achieved national accreditation for its 2‑1‑1 service about a month earlier, completing an 18‑month review of staff training, databases and policies; the county also added text access to 211. She called the accreditation a milestone tied to the strategic plan’s access goals.

On elder protection, Mary said Adult Protective Services opened 124 cases since Jan. 1 and the long‑term care ombudsman program is handling 156 cases. To speed certain guardianship petitions, she said the county is coordinating with the state’s attorney and a special assistant state’s attorney to file petitions that otherwise would have been shouldered by an overburdened public guardian.

No formal committee votes related to these program updates were taken at the meeting; the committee received the reports for strategic planning and follow‑up. Committee members requested copies of the presentations and further distribution to interested members and committees.