Current program rates as low as 4.25 percent for Homeownership and 
4.98 percent for Multifamily. See Homeownership or Multifamily for more info.
IHDA In This Issue
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
IHDA Loan Officer of the Month
LoanOfficer
IHDA's Homeownership Department recognizes Keith W. Thompson, Senior Loan Officer at Mortgage Services Ill as its "Loan Officer of the Month." Keith has been in the mortgage lending business for 37 years and has spent his entire career serving communities in central Illinois. He especially enjoys working with first time home buyers who never thought homeownership was within their reach and uses IHDA loans as a way to provide solutions for his clients' specific needs. Thanks, Keith!
IHDA Upcoming Dates


UpcomingDates
9% Tax Credit Application Deadline (LIHTC Round I - 2014)
March 31, 3 p.m.
 
Preliminary Project Assessment Deadline
(LIHTC Round II - 2014)
March 31, 3 p.m.

 

Illinois Governor's Conference on Affordable Housing
April 22 - 23
Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 E. Wacker Dr.
Chicago, IL 60601
For more immediate updates, please join us on IHDA's Facebook page and follow us on Twitter:

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Photo courtesy of the State of Illinois
Governor Quinn Announces $45 Million in Tornado Relief Funds to Help Homeowners and Businesses in Central Illinois
 Tornado
Governor Quinn declared seven counties state disaster areas after dozens of tornadoes hit southern and central Illinois on November 17. Thousands of homes were damaged or destroyed, hundreds of thousands were left without power, and local governments incurred millions in storm related expenses.
 
Following the denial of urgently needed federal disaster assistance, Governor Quinn announced on March 5 a $45 million tornado relief package to help local governments in nine counties recover from the deadly storms that cut across the state. The multi-agency relief package includes assistance assembled from six state agencies to support the hard-hit municipalities in Champaign, Douglas, Grundy, Massac, Tazewell, Vermilion, Washington, Wayne and Woodford Counties. 
 
IHDA will provide $2.5 million in emergency rehabilitation assistance to approximately 50 low-income households affected by the severe storms. Eligible homeowners will receive up to $40,000 to pay for insurance deductibles or home repairs.  
 
Please see the news release for more details. 
Governor Quinn and National Guard Veteran Stephene Maxwell
Photo courtesy of the State of Illinois
Governor Quinn Commits $5 Million to Help Military Families Buy Homes
 WHH
IHDA Program News
There are many difficulties that face Veterans as they return home from service. After sacrificing to protect the freedoms that all Americans enjoy, it is important that military families are given every opportunity to be successful as they transition to civilian life.
 
On February 12, Governor Quinn announced the investment of $5 million in state capital funds to help an additional 500 military families purchase a home through the Welcome Home Heroes program. Speaking from the homes of Navy Veteran Jonas Harger in Springfield and Army/National Guard Veteran Stephene Maxwell in Midlothian, he affirmed his commitment to making Illinois a great state for veterans to live and work and praised the success of 2013 as the Year of Homeownership.
 
Please see the news release for more details.
 
More information on the Welcome Home Heroes program is available on IHDA's Homebuyer page.  
Register Now for the 2014 Illinois Governor's Conference on Affordable Housing
Conference
 
Registration is now open for the 2014 Illinois Governor's Conference on Affordable housing. Joining us this year as keynote speaker is Bethany McLean, author of "All the Devils Are Here: The Hidden History of the Financial Crisis" and "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron."
 
As we are developing innovative and interesting topics for this year's conference, we would like your input! Do you have a subject you would like to see covered? Something new you would like to learn? A best practice example to share? E-mail us at [email protected] with your suggestions.
 
Visit www.ilgovernorsconference.org to register today! 
A new kitchen in a Building Blocks home in Berwyn.
Renovated Homes For Sale Through the Illinois Building Blocks Program
BuildingBlocks
 
IHDA Program News
Vacant single-family homes present serious challenges to local governments. The cost of maintaining these properties often falls to the taxpayer, and once vacant, it can be difficult to bring a home back to productive use.
 
Governor Quinn's Illinois Building Blocks program provides the tools that help communities break the cycle of blight by transforming vacant properties into opportunities for affordable homeownership. The first of 75 vacant homes rehabilitated under the Building Blocks program have been resold and we expect many more to be sold during the spring and summer as more properties arrive on the market.
 
The homes are professionally renovated and move-in-ready, saving homebuyers from many common after-purchase expenses. The homes are also eligible for the Building Blocks loan package which includes $10,000 in cash assistance for down payment. This financing has already helped 615 homebuyers, bringing hundreds of vacant homes back online in the process.
 
Rehabilitated homes will continue to become available through the end of 2014, so check the Getting an IHDA Loan page often for more details.
Foreclosure Prevention Assistance Is Crucial as the Economic Recovery Continues
IFPN
 
IHDA Program News The number of Chicago area homes entering the foreclosure process fell by more than 40 percent in 2013, reaching the lowest level since 2007 according to new data from the Woodstock Institute.
 
While this is promising news and a sign that many communities in the six-county area are recovering, the recovery has not been even. There are still thousands of pending foreclosures, especially in low-income areas, that pose a serious threat to the state's housing market.
 
This is why Governor Quinn's Illinois Foreclosure Prevention Network still plays a vital role in the housing recovery. More than one million people have been connected to free foreclosure help under the governor's leadership and the network continues to link homeowners with programs and services to avoid foreclosure, including housing counseling, legal advice and mortgage assistance programs.
 
Preventing foreclosures is one of the most essential things we can do to keep our communities strong and our economic recovery moving forward. Homeowners who are at risk of foreclosure or struggling with their mortgage payments should visit keepyourhomeillinois.org or call (855) KEEP-411 for more details.
IHDA Grants Turn Vacant Properties Into Community Assets
RehabGrants
 
IHDA Program News
IHDA announced on March 6 that $6.6 million has been allocated to 16 public and not-for-profit organizations under a new round of the Illinois Homebuyer Rehabilitation Assistance Program to help an estimated 240 households buy and rehabilitate vacant properties. Homebuyers can apply today for up to $5,000 for acquisition and $20,000 for the rehabilitation of vacant single family homes statewide.
 
The new assistance can also be paired with IHDA's loan products which feature 30-year fixed-rate loans and up to $10,000 in down payment assistance. 
 
Homebuyers must apply through one of the 16 program partner agencies. Please see the press release for more details.
2014 Round I PPA Approvals Are Now Available
PPA

IHDA has released the list of approved Preliminary Project Assessments for Round I of the 2014 LIHTC program. Approved projects are invited to submit applications for federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits, which are due by 3 p.m. on Monday, March 31.
 
The LIHTC program is considered the most productive affordable housing finance tool in the nation. Since it was created by Congress in 1986, tax credits have provided financing for the development of 75,000 affordable homes and more than 86,000 jobs in Illinois.
 
The list of approvals and applications for multifamily financing are available on the Multifamily Developer section of the IHDA website.
Attend the Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago's Affordable Housing Program Training Sessions
FHLBC

The Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago's (FHLBC) Affordable Housing Program provides grants to member banks working with community developers and public agencies to finance rental and ownership housing for low- and moderate-income households.
 
Join FHLBC staff at one of four free training sessions in April to learn more about the 2014 competitive Affordable Housing Program. Each session covers eligibility, project feasibility, and changes to the scoring guidelines. Member institutions, potential sponsors and project consultants are encouraged to attend. Click here for more information.
 
Please contact Community Investment at [email protected] or (312) 565-5824 for more details.
We Want to Hear From You! Help Design a New Supportive and Integrated Technical Assistance and Training Program for Illinois
CSH

CSH seeks your input to shape the delivery of a new Supportive and Integrated Housing Technical Assistance and Training program made possible through IHDA. 
 
This initiative to expand integrated supportive housing in Illinois packages several major components, including training and technical assistance, to engage development teams both experienced and new to supportive housing. The survey will assess the needs of developers, property managers, and supportive services partners who have or plan to develop supportive and integrated housing, as well as ask questions about experiences with the State Referral Network. CSH will also use the information gathered through the survey to modify its pre-development lending products to respond to local needs. 
 
Please complete the Illinois Integrated Housing Training-TA-Lending Survey. The survey will take approximately 20 minutes. For more information, please contact [email protected].
NeighborWorks National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling Program Recognizes Illinois Innovation
NFMC

IHDA Awards & Recognition
Congratulations to Northwest Side Housing Center counselor Liz Caton, who was named Counseling Innovator of the Year for excellence in homeownership counseling services at the NeighborWorks National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) Grantee Meeting in Los Angeles on February 27.
 
As a founding team member, Ms. Caton built her organization's counseling program from the ground up, providing individual guidance related to pre-purchase and post-purchase decisions, foreclosure prevention, rental options, reverse mortgages, home maintenance, refinance, and predatory lending.
 
Please see the press release for more details and see NeighborWorks America for more information on the NFMC Counselor Awards.
 
Pictured from left: IHDA Assistant Director of Community Affairs Amber Lockwood, Liz Caton and Northwest Side Housing Center board member Hilda Olivero.
Find Affordable Health Coverage with Get Covered Illinois
GCI

Choosing the right healthcare coverage is an important decision, and Illinoisans should know that there is help available to guide them through the process under Get Covered Illinois (GCI), the Health Insurance Marketplace for Illinois residents. 
 
Specifically trained counselors and GCI team members are available for free across the state to help Illinois consumers understand their options and take the first step to find affordable health coverage. Consumers should explore
www.getcoveredillinois.gov today, whether they are currently uninsured, are looking to make a change in their healthcare plan, or just want to learn more about their options. All marketplace plans include essential health benefits and there are affordable options available to fit every budget.
 
The deadline to enroll is March 31, 2014, so enroll today at www.getcoveredillinois.gov or call (866) 311-1119.

IHDA New Developments
 
NewDevelopments
Congratulations to our public-private partners on the following groundbreakings and announcements:

(February 10, 2014)

(February 19, 2014) Journal Gazette & Times-Courier
 
(February 15, 2014) Champaign/Urbana News-Gazette
 
(February 14, 2014) Alton Daily News
 
(February 12, 2014) ABC 7
 
(February 12, 2014) The State Journal-Register
 
(February 12, 2014) Northern Public Radio
 
(February 12, 2014) WAND-TV
 
(February 12, 2014) Sauk Valley Media
 
(February 10, 2014) Journal Gazette & Times-Courier