Urbana Disability Housing and Police Contract

UPDATE: The disability housing agreement and police contract was approved by the Urbana City Council at the meeting previewed below. More on that from the News-Gazette yesterday: Urbana council gives initial OK to plan to create housing for disabled]

The Housing Authority of Champaign County (Cheat Sheet post on HACC here) and Urbana are working together on a housing collaboration for residents with disabilities and financial constraints. In today's News-Gazette article it highlights some of the county organizations that work with local governments and in concert with federal and other programs:

Housing for disabled may get boost from grant, other funds
...
The Urbana City Council will vote tonight on entering into an intergovernmental agreement with the Housing Authority of Champaign County. If approved, the HACC will apply for funding — from the Illinois Housing Development Authority — to create up to 24 units of permanent supportive housing.

Cunningham Township supervisor and HACC board member Danielle Chynoweth said the subsidized units, slated for 1606 E. Colorado Ave., would be targeted to single people from vulnerable populations who have mental or physical disabilities...

Chynoweth said local recipients of Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance are rent burdened, by federal standards, if they pay more than $250 a month.

"Even a tiny room in a boarding house is typically $450 and up," Chynoweth said. "I brought the grant opportunity to the HACC because we have extremely insufficient housing for people with disabilities."

There are three organizations in Champaign County that award permanent supportive housing rental vouchers, according to data from the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission. They are Rosecrance, the HACC and the CCRPC.

Urbana wouldn't contribute financially to the tax-exempt housing, according to a city staff report. Instead, a combination of the grant, HACC funding and private funding would be used.

More information at the full article here. If you missed some of the drama about Chynoweth being seated on the HACC board of commissioners, here's a quick Cheat Sheet post with links to catch you up: Chynoweth Cleared by HUD for HACC. The News-Gazette also had a blurb up on their website last night on the Urbana Police contract being voted on tonight:

Urbana council set to vote on new contract with police officers
The city council is set to vote on a new three-year contract with police officers that includes raises.

Under the terms of the new agreement, which is retroactive to July 2017 and runs until July 2020, all union police officers would see a 2 percent pay increase in each year, with sergeants getting an additional $1,000 each year.

The contract also broadens the rules related to time off for the death of a loved one and mandates that if an officer trades a shift with another but can't work the new shift due to illness or injury, they will be docked sick time.