Neighborhood Stabilization Program Funding Updates

Applications for NSP2 funds were due on July 16.  CMAP took the lead on a regional application for a request of approximately $78.7 million with local government partners as the Chicago Metropolitan Neighborhood Stabilization Program Consortium (CMNSPC).  The CMNSPC includes Aurora, Berwyn, Cicero, Cook County, DuPage County, Elgin, Joliet, Kendall County, Lake County, and Will County, in addition to the Illinois Housing Development Authority and Neighborhood Housing Services of Chicago.

CMNSPC’s NSP2 Application identifies seven specific program activities that may be carried out with funds, including the NSP2 Rental Program, NSP2 Homebuyer Program, Homebuyer Counseling, Administration, NSP2 Financing Mechanisms, Purchasing and Redeveloping, and NSP2 Demolition. The consortium members will select non-profit partners and developers to assist with the identified activities, and the application includes details of how each activity will be carried out.  The map below shows locations of CMNSPC census tracts identified in the application.

Other applications from the metropolitan region came from the City of Chicago in partnership with Mercy Housing, the Chicago Rehab Network, Ford Heights, Evanston, Lifelink, and Mercy Housing for Aurora, Elgin, Saint Charles, and the Village of Carpentersville in Kane County.  NSP2 applications and/or proposal summaries are online for the City of Chicago, the Chicago Rehab Network and Evanston.

NSP Technical Assistance Grants Awarded
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced the recipients of $50 million in NSP Technical Assistance (NSP-TA) grants on August 26.  Nine national organizations were awarded $44.5 million, while $5.5 million went to help “local communities purchase, rehabilitate, and resell foreclosed properties in especially hard-hit neighborhoods.”  The largest grant ($13,416,716) was awarded to ICF International, a services firm that partners with public and private partners for consulting services and technology assistance for issues including energy, climate change, the environment, and social programs.  Nearly $12 million was awarded to work nationally, while an additional $1.5 million in grant funds were directed towards providing local technical assistance in Illinois, Ohio, and Indiana.  As outlined by HUD, NSP-TA grants will:

• Help NSP grantees to implement sound underwriting, management, and fiscal controls;
• Measure outcomes in the use of public funds through accurate and timely reporting;
•  Build the capacity of public-private partnerships;
•  Develop strategies to serve low-income households;
• Incorporate energy efficiency into State and local NSP programs;
•  Provide support, technical assistance, and training on the operation and management of ‘land banks;
•  Train grantees and their subgrantees on HUD program rules and financial management requirements; and
•  Assist grantees and their subgrantees to develop materials on energy conservation or other Departmental or programmatic priorities.