103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2023 and 2024
HB5506

 

Introduced 2/9/2024, by Rep. Kevin John Olickal

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
New Act
30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new

    Creates the Senior Home Preservation Program Act. Requires the Department of Human Services to implement and administer the Senior Home Preservation Program to provide grants to agencies to provide minor rehabilitation services to legacy resident low-income senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and safety of their homes. Provides that grants may be used for housing owned by eligible seniors to reduce the cost of repair and rehabilitation, to remove or correct health or safety hazards, to comply with applicable housing standards or codes, or to make needed repairs to improve the general living conditions of the seniors including improved accessibility for seniors with disabilities. Provides that "legacy resident senior homeowner" means any person 62 years of age or older or 55 and older with a disability who has lived in a community family home (single-family home or owner-occupied building of up to 4 units) for at least 10 years. Defines other terms. Creates the Senior Home Preservation Program Fund as a special fund in the State treasury for the purpose of provide grants to agencies to provide minor rehabilitation services to eligible senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and safety of their homes. Amends the State Finance Act to include the fund as a special fund.


LRB103 38097 JRC 68229 b

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

HB5506LRB103 38097 JRC 68229 b

1    AN ACT concerning housing.
 
2    Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3represented in the General Assembly:
 
4    Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Senior
5Home Preservation Program Act.
 
6    Section 5. Legislative intent. The purpose of this Act is
7to establish a home repair program to promote safe and
8habitable housing for legacy resident seniors.
 
9    Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:
10    "Delegate agency" means a contract with a unit of local
11government, not-for-profit or for-profit organization approved
12by the Department to carry out the provisions of this Act to
13targeted communities and paid on a pass-through basis.
14    "Department" means the Department of Human Services.
15    "Disability" means, with respect to an individual:
16        (1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially
17    limits one or more major life activities of the
18    individual;
19        (2) a record of such an impairment; or
20        (3) being regarded as having such an impairment. An
21    individual meets the requirement of "being regarded as
22    having such an impairment" if the individual establishes

 

 

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1    that he or she has been subjected to an action prohibited
2    under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 because
3    of an actual or perceived physical or mental impairment
4    whether or not the impairment limits or is perceived to
5    limit a major life activity.
6    "Habitability concerns" means home repairs that are
7required to ensure residential units are any of the following:
8        (1) fit for human habitation;
9        (2) free from defective conditions or health and
10    safety hazards, including asbestos, mold, pests, or lead;
11    or
12        (3) free of conditions preventing installation of
13    measures to improve energy or water efficiency and lower
14    utility costs.
15    "Homeowner" means a person or persons who are any of the
16following:
17        (1) an owner of record evidenced by a publicly
18    recorded deed;
19        (2) an owner-occupant of a manufactured home who
20    leases a space in a manufactured home community; or
21        (3) an equitable owner who can demonstrate an
22    ownership interest in a property as provided by law,
23    including:
24            (i) a person who has inherited an interest in a
25        property;
26            (ii) a person who has entered a contract to

 

 

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1        purchase a property;
2            (iii) a person who was the owner of record before a
3        fraudulent conveyance of the property; or
4            (iv) a person who is a trust beneficiary and a
5        person holding a partial ownership interest in a
6        property such as tenancy by the entirety, joint
7        tenancy, tenancy in common, and life estate.
8    "Home modification" means any change to the structure of a
9residential home or property to create barrier free living,
10provide access to and from the home, create universal design,
11or avoid institutionalized or congregate placement for persons
12with a disability.
13    "Legacy resident senior homeowner" means any person 62
14years of age or older or 55 and older with a disability who has
15lived in his or her community family home (single-family home
16or owner-occupied building of up to 4 units) for at least 10
17years.
18    "Low-income" means a household income that does not exceed
19200% of area median income.
20    "Minor rehabilitation services" includes but is not
21limited to the following, not to exceed $20,000 per unit for:
22security devices (installation of sprinkler systems, smoke
23detectors and deadbolt locks, and other devices for security
24purposes); conservation (costs required to increase the
25efficient use of water such as water saving faucets and shower
26heads) and improvements to increase the efficient use of

 

 

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1energy in structures through such means as installation of
2storm windows and doors, insulation, and modification or
3replacement of heating and cooling equipment; water and sewer
4(costs of connecting existing residential structures to water
5distribution lines or local sewer collection lines); plumbing
6(costs related to fixing leaky or exposed pipes; unclogging
7sinks, tubs, and toilets; repairing or replacing faucets;
8replacing sump pumps and toilet tank workings; resetting or
9replacing toilets); electrical repairs (costs related to
10repairing or replacing light switches, sockets, light
11fixtures, ceiling fans, and doorbells; tools (costs of
12acquiring tools to be lent to licensed, skilled laborers who
13will use the tools to carry out rehabilitation); barrier
14removal (costs related to installing handrails, grab bars, and
15non-slip mats and treads); installing hand-held showers;
16repairing steps and flooring; changing and fixing interior
17doors; improving lighting, including night-lights for the
18bathroom; removing floor clutter; rearranging furniture;
19removing material and architectural barriers to restrict the
20mobility and accessibility of older and disabled persons to
21buildings and improvements that are eligible for
22rehabilitation under this category); or landscaping,
23sidewalks, and driveways (costs of installation or replacement
24of landscape materials, sidewalks, and driveways when
25incidental to other rehabilitation of the property).
 

 

 

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1    Section 15. Senior Home Preservation Program.
2    (a) Subject to the availability of appropriations in an
3amount sufficient to implement and administer the provisions
4of this Act, the Department shall establish a Senior Home
5Preservation Program to provide grants to delegate agencies to
6provide minor rehabilitation services to legacy resident
7low-income senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and
8safety of their homes. Grants provided under the program may
9be used for housing owned by a legacy resident senior to reduce
10the cost of repair and rehabilitation, to remove or correct
11health or safety hazards, to comply with applicable housing
12standards or codes, or to make needed repairs to improve the
13general living conditions of the legacy resident senior,
14including improved accessibility for seniors with
15disabilities.
16    Home repair project types. The program shall provide
17funding for the following: to ensure low-income legacy
18resident seniors' homes are free of habitability concerns, to
19provide home modifications allowing for independent living,
20and to improve coordination across existing home repair
21programs.
22    (b) Applicants must apply to the program in a form and
23manner prescribed by the Department. To qualify for repairs
24from a delegate agency, the applicant must, at a minimum, be
25the owner of the home and use the home as his or her primary
26residence. The Department may also establish minimum housing

 

 

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1standards applicants must meet to qualify for a grant under
2the program.
3    (c) Program funds shall not supplant existing resources
4dedicated to existing home repair programs, but may be used to
5support, expand and enhance existing home repair programs as
6provided under this Act.
7    (d) The Department may adopt any rules necessary to
8implement the program.
 
9    Section 20. Senior Home Preservation Program Fund. The
10Senior Home Preservation Program Fund is created as a special
11fund in the State treasury. In addition to any other amounts
12deposited into the Fund, there shall be deposited into the
13Fund all moneys donated to the State by private individuals or
14entities for purposes for which moneys in the Fund may be used
15as provided in this Section. Subject to appropriations, the
16Department of Human Services shall use moneys in the Fund to
17make grants to provide grants to delegate agencies to provide
18minor rehabilitation services to legacy resident low-income
19senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and safety of
20their homes. Provides that grants may be used for housing
21owned by a legacy resident senior to reduce the cost of repair
22and rehabilitation, to remove or correct health or safety
23hazards, to comply with applicable housing standards or codes,
24or to make needed repairs to improve the general living
25conditions of the legacy resident senior, including improved

 

 

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1accessibility for seniors with disabilities.
 
2    Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding
3Section 5.1015 as follows:
 
4    (30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)
5    Sec. 5.1015. The Senior Home Preservation Program Fund.