DuPage County Home Advisory Group met Dec. 2
DuPage County Home Advisory Group met Dec. 2
Here are the minutes provided by the group:
1. CALL TO ORDER
11:30 AM Home Advisory Group meeting was called to order by Chair Lynn LaPlante at 11:38 AM.
2. ROLL CALL
Staff Present: Mary Keating, Community Services Director; Julie Hamlin, Community Development Administrator; Ashley Miller, Community Development Manager; Chloe Harrington, Housing and Community Development Planner (remote); and Bec DeLaura, Housing and Community Development Planner (remote).
Assistant State’s Attorney - Trevor Prindle
PRESENT Barfuss, Bastian, Flint, Haider, LaPlante, Schwarze, and Childress
ABSENT Crandall, Krajewski, Hennerfeind, and Bricks
REMOTE Cronin Cahill, and Honig
MOTION TO ALLOW A BOARD MEMBER TO JOIN MEETING
Motion to allow Mbr. Childress to join committee.
On a Voice Vote, all Ayes, the Motion passed.
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Lynn LaPlante
SECONDER: Saba Haider
MOTION TO ALLOW REMOTE PARTICIPATION
Motion to allow Mbr. Cronin Cahill and Mbr. Honig remote participation.
On a Voice Vote, all Ayes, the Motion passed.
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Saba Haider
SECONDER: Greg Schwarze
3. PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comments were offered.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
4.A. 25-2880
There were no additions, corrections or discussion.
On a Voice Vote, the July 1, 2025 Minutes were approved.
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Lynn LaPlante
SECONDER: Saba Haider
5. COMMITTEE VOTE REQUIRED
5.A. 25-2881
Recommendation for approval of the amended Notice of Occupancy Rights Under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Policy.
Julie Hamlin, Administrator of Community Development, explained that previous updates had been delayed pending revisions from HUD to forms associated with the VAWA policy. These forms have been updated and incorporated into the policy. The amendments strengthen notification requirements, and the Emergency Transfer Plan has been rewritten to align with the HUD format. Mary Keating, Director of Community Services, stated further all tenants must be informed of their rights under this specific Act. While these rights apply to everyone, our receipt of federal funding makes it a requirement to provide formal notification to tenants.
On a Roll Call, all Ayes, the Motion passed.
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Lynn LaPlante
SECONDER: Saba Haider
AYES: Barfuss, Bastian, Flint, Haider, LaPlante, Schwarze, and Childress
ABSENT: Crandall, Krajewski, Hennerfeind, and Bricks
REMOTE: Cronin Cahill, and Honig
5.B. 25-2882
Recommendation for Approval of a Conditional Commitment of HOME Investment Partnerships Act (HOME) Funds with Catholic Charities, Diocese of Joliet, Project Number HM25-02a – Tenant Based Rental Assistance – in the Amount of $204,000.
There were no questions.
On a Voice Vote, all Ayes, the Motion passed.
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Lynn LaPlante
SECONDER: Saba Haider
5.C. 25-2883
Recommendation for Approval of a Conditional Commitment of HOME Investment Partnerships Act (HOME) Funds with DuPage Pads, Project Number HM25-02b – Tenant Based Rental Assistance – in the Amount of $139,000.
There were no questions.
On a Voice Vote, all Ayes, the Motion passed.
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Lynn LaPlante
SECONDER: Greg Schwarze
5.D. 25-2884
Recommendation for Approval of FY2026 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) and HOME Investment Partnerships Act (HOME) Application Funding Recommendations.
Mary Keating stated Congress has not yet passed the 2026 federal budget for CDBG program, the House has proposed level funding while the Senate has recommended a 7% reduction. Given this uncertainty we are proceeding with planning based on level funding assumption with a contingent measure to accommodate potential changes once the final budget is approved. Julie Hamlin noted her team is developing the 2026 Annual Action Plan required for CDBG, HOME and ESG funding. While Congress has not finalized the 2026 budget, we will plan based on level CDBG funding, with contingencies in place. For public service projects, w e received five applications and recommend three for 2026, including a merged request from Catholic Charities. ESG funding will continue to support outreach, emergency shelter and HMIS, consistent with 2025. We also solicited capital improvement proposals for nonprofit-owned facilities. Out of the four applications, three are recommended with one excluded due to lack of facility ownership. With the remaining funds we revisited prior neighborhood investment applications. One Bensenville project was already earmarked and based on the scoring and outreach to municipal partners. We are also preparing to move forward with projects from Glendale Heights, Addison and another Bensenville project if the funding becomes available. If the allocations fall short, we will reduce admin and public services budget to stay within public caps. The same applies to ESG where caps also apply to street outreach and shelter funding. If deeper cuts are needed, we will reduce projects starting with the lowest scoring neighborhood and capital improvement proposals. HOME program references are placeholders for future projects as agencies become ready, we vet and bring each proposal to the committee for approval. Mary Keating added that the beneficiaries of hard funded programs will now be required to have their immigration status verified. Nonprofits were previously exempt, but we have been informed we must now handle this administratively. It is unclear how this process will be implemented, and some agencies may choose not to continue funding. Nineteen states have also filed a lawsuit claiming the new regulations conflict with congressional intent, so the outcome remains unclear. There were discussions regarding the new regulations.
On a Voice Vote, all Ayes, the Motion passed.
RESULT: APPROVED
MOVER: Lynn LaPlante
SECONDER: Saba Haider
6. OTHER BUSINESS
No other business was discussed.
7. ADJOURNMENT
With no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 11:56 AM.
8. NEXT MEETING DATE - JANUARY 6, 2026
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