DuPage Care Center reports holiday programs, construction progress; Community Services outlines rent-assistance rollout and homelessness count

DuPage Care Center staff told the DuPage County Human Services Committee that holiday activities were well received, that a recent infection outbreak has ended, and that construction on the 3 North unit is nearing completion after the county submitted 90% construction documents to the state.

Janelle Chadwick, presenting the care-center update, said staff adopted residents for holiday gifts, staged door-decorating contests and hosted a performance by residents. Chadwick reported that a recent outbreak is no longer active and that the facility continues limited masking as a prevention measure. She said the county submitted 90% construction documents for the 3 North project and expects Illinois Department of Public Health review in three to four weeks; when that work proceeds, staff will relocate about 60 residents to accommodate construction. Chadwick described plans to reconsolidate a contiguous dementia unit (a 16-bed unit) and noted tamper-resistant electrical outlets were installed on the new dementia unit because outlets are close to beds.

Community Services Director Mary Keating briefed the committee on multiple department items. Keating said the family center and the health department have established a referral process to provide behavioral-health counseling to family center clients and reported that referrals have been received positively by parents. She also updated the committee on the county-administered portion of Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA2) funds: staff launched a county-run rental-assistance program to distribute remaining ERA2 funds through community partners and county channels, but the county is conducting a "soft launch" rather than a large public outreach to avoid overwhelming the system. Keating said there is approximately $7.5 million available after administrative and related costs; staff will reassess outreach in roughly two months.

Keating told members that eviction-court cases are handled through a separate eviction-court rental assistance pathway and that staff will confirm whether assistance can cover security deposits and moving expenses. During the meeting a member asked whether rental assistance covers security deposits and moving costs; later in the discussion staff clarified that the program can cover security deposits and forward rent but cannot cover moving expenses.

Keating also reported that Adult Protective Services received 99 intakes in November and that the county’s 211 accreditation application has been submitted. She announced the annual point-in-time homeless count will be conducted overnight Jan. 29–30; volunteers, working with the continuum of care and police departments, will perform the one-night sheltered and unsheltered count and may offer supplies, gift cards and resource referrals when outreach is safe and appropriate.

Committee members asked procedural questions about the member-initiative/small-grant program. County staff said a $1,050,000 pool of ARPA interest funds has been set aside for the small grant program, that the portal is expected to go live in the second half of January and will likely be open about 60 days, and that awards will be vetted and presented to the committee midyear. Staff said the program is structured so awards under the program threshold are reviewed by the committee and do not require full-board approval; staff also committed to prepare outreach materials (including a memo for mayors and managers and a recorded webinar) and to coordinate communications through existing mailing lists to reach small nonprofits.

Members were also advised that district members may meet to discuss grant priorities without violating the Open Meetings Act, provided their meetings do not create a quorum of any formal standing body that would be covered by OMA.