LaSalle informational meeting details $650,000 CDBG housing‑rehab program; applications now open

The City of LaSalle and the North Central Illinois Council of Governments (NCICG) held an informational meeting about a $650,000 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) housing rehabilitation program that will fund repairs for owner‑occupied homes in LaSalle.

Connie Buchanan, grant administrator with NCICG, said the program "is to renovate approximately 10 single family owner occupied homes for persons that have low to moderate income," and described the project as a two‑year grant that aims to make homes safer, healthier and more energy efficient.

Nut graf: The grant, provided through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO) and administered under the federal CDBG program, targets very‑low‑income seniors and people with developmental or physical disabilities for the highest priority work. Officials said the program also prioritizes health‑and‑safety improvements such as handicap‑accessible bathrooms, electrical upgrades and new roofs, and will coordinate weatherization with Tri‑County Opportunities to extend the grant’s reach.

Program basics and eligibility Connie Buchanan explained that eligible properties must be single‑family, owner‑occupied homes inside the City of LaSalle limits and that rentals, mobile homes and multi‑unit properties are not eligible. Applicants must meet income guidelines; Buchanan gave an example that a two‑person household with gross income under about $53,400 would qualify for a particular…