HB5170 104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB104 17394 KTG 30819 b

104TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2025 and 2026
HB5170

Introduced 2/10/2026, by Rep. Kevin John Olickal

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:

New Act
30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new

Creates the Senior Home Preservation Program Act. Provides that subject to appropriations, the Department of Human Services shall establish a 3-year pilot program known as the Senior Home Preservation Program (Program) to provide grants to delegate agencies to provide rehabilitation services to legacy resident low-income senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and safety of their homes. Provides that grants under the Program may be used for housing owned by a legacy resident senior 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 legacy resident senior, including improved accessibility for seniors with disabilities. Provides that the Program shall initially be implemented in predetermined geographies with the expectation that the Program may grow to encompass all eligible populations in the State. Contains provisions concerning home repair project types and application process and operational requirements. Creates a Workforce Development Home Repair Program (Workforce Development Program) to promote the State's interest in enabling low-income senior households to age in place safely and securely. Provides that, through grants to delegate agencies, the Workforce Development Program shall aim to increase employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in census tracts with high rates of unemployment, underemployment, and poverty and to ensure that residents of those communities are able to access the work as a local employment engine. Provides that delegate agencies implementing Workforce Development Program sites shall connect trainees to jobs through committed employer partnerships related to improving the habitability and performance of homes; and shall use grant funding to cover cash stipends for trainees and costs related to the design and implementation of pre-apprenticeship and other job training programs. Requires the Department to submit annual reports. Creates the Senior Home Preservation Program Fund to cover the operational and administrative costs and program grants under the Senior Home Preservation Program. Amends the State Finance Act by adding the Senior Home Preservation Program Fund to the list of special funds.

A BILL FOR

AN ACT concerning housing.

Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly:

Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the Senior Home Preservation Program Act.

Section 5. Legislative intent. The purpose of this Act is to establish a home repair program to promote safe and habitable housing for legacy resident seniors. Additionally, the intent is to improve coordination across existing home repair programs and to increase retention in workforce development programs.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Delegate agency" means a contract with a unit of local government or a not-for-profit or for-profit organization approved by the Department to carry out the provisions of this Act to targeted communities and paid on a pass-through basis.

"Department" means the Department of Human Services.

"Disability" means, with respect to an individual:

(1) a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of the individual;

(2) a record of such an impairment; or

(3) being regarded as having such an impairment.

An individual meets the requirement of "being regarded as having such an impairment" if the individual establishes that he or she has been subjected to an action prohibited under the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 because of an actual or perceived physical or mental impairment whether or not the impairment limits or is perceived to limit a major life activity.

"Habitability" means home repairs that are required to ensure fit for human habitation; specifically, safe and suitable for occupancy of relevant age homeowners and their tenants, as applicable.

"Homeowner" means a person or persons who are any of the following:

(1) An owner (of up to 4 units) of record evidenced by a publicly recorded deed.

(2) An owner-occupant of a manufactured home who leases a space in a manufactured home community.

(3) An equitable owner who can demonstrate an ownership interest in a property as provided by law, including:

(i) a person who has inherited an interest in a property;

(ii) a person who has entered a contract to purchase a property;

(iii) a person who was the owner of record before a fraudulent conveyance of the property; or

(iv) a person who is a trust beneficiary and a person holding a partial ownership interest in a property such as tenancy by the entirety, joint tenancy, tenancy in common, and life estate.

"Home modification" means any change to the structure of a residential home or property to create barrier free living, provide access to and from the home, create universal design, or avoid institutionalized or congregate placement for persons with a disability.

"Home repair referral" means that the Department will use all of the information it has available by virtue of its duties under this Act, to assist, free of charge via a publicly available web page in multiple languages, print material, or by telephone assistance, persons with low incomes who are legacy senior homeowners locate a home repair, accessibility modification, weatherization, or energy subsidy program by location.

"Legacy resident senior homeowner" means any person 62 years of age or older or 55 and older with a disability who has lived in his or her community family home (single-family home or owner-occupied building of up to 4 units) for at least 10 years.

"Low-income" means a household income that does not exceed 80% of area median income.

"Rehabilitation services" means modifications, repairs, or updates to homeowner- or renter-occupied units, not to exceed $40,000 per unit, to address the following challenges, including, but not limited to, the following (not in priority order):

(1) physical and sensory accessibility for individuals with disabilities and older adults, such as bathroom and kitchen modifications, installation of grab bars and handrails, guards and guardrails, lifting devices, ramp additions or repairs, sidewalk addition or repair, or doorway or hallway widening;

(2) habitability and safety concerns, such as repairs needed to ensure residential units are fit for human habitation and free from defective conditions or health and safety hazards; and

(3) energy and water efficiency, resilience, and weatherization.

Section 15. Senior Home Preservation Program.

(a) Subject to the availability of appropriations in an amount sufficient to implement and administer the provisions of this Act, the Department shall establish a 3-year pilot program known as the Senior Home Preservation Program to provide grants to delegate agencies to provide rehabilitation services to legacy resident low-income senior homeowners to preserve the habitability and safety of their homes. Grants provided under the program may be used for housing owned by a legacy resident senior 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 legacy resident senior, including improved accessibility for seniors with disabilities. The program shall initially be implemented in predetermined geographies with the expectation that the program may grow to encompass all eligible populations in the State of Illinois.

(b) Home repair project types. The program shall provide funding to ensure low-income legacy resident seniors' homes are free of habitability concerns, to provide home modifications allowing for independent living, and to improve coordination across existing home repair programs.

(c) Program funds shall not supplant existing resources dedicated to existing home repair programs, but may be used to support, expand, and enhance existing home repair programs as provided under this Act.

(d) Application process and operational structure.

(1) The Department may adopt any rules necessary to implement the program.

(2) Applicants must apply to the program in a form and manner prescribed by the Department. To qualify for repairs from a delegate agency, the applicant must, at a minimum, be the owner of the home and use the home as his or her primary residence. The Department may also establish minimum housing standards that applicants must meet to qualify for a grant under the program.

(3) The Department must use a universal program application process with a single point of contact for homeowners and delegate agencies.

(4) The program must be designed to facilitate coordination across waitlists for existing home repair programs.

(5) The Department must take no longer than 12 months in setting up the application and program framework.

Section 20. Workforce Development Home Repair Program. The Department shall establish and implement a Workforce Development Home Repair Program (Workforce Development Program) to promote the State's interest in enabling low-income senior households to age in place safely and securely. Through grants to delegate agencies, the Workforce Development Program shall aim to increase employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in census tracts with high rates of unemployment, underemployment, and poverty and to ensure that residents of those communities are able to access the work as a local employment engine. The Workforce Development Program shall also implement outreach strategies to increase awareness of cost savings and job training services associated with the program. Delegate agencies implementing workforce development program sites shall connect trainees to jobs through committed employer partnerships related to improving the habitability and performance of homes and shall use grant funding to cover any of the following:

(1) Cash stipends for trainees.

(2) Costs related to the design and implementation of pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship, and publicly funded on-the-job training programs.

Delegate agencies may use not more than 15% of the awarded funds to carry out related functions, including workforce training, which shall be related to efforts to increase the number of home repairs performed and approved by the Secretary of Human Services.

Section 25. Reporting requirements. The Department shall prepare an annual report by September 1 following the fiscal year in which the Senior Home Preservation Program is first implemented, and by September 1 for all subsequent years of the program's duration. The report shall be submitted to the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the chairperson and minority chairperson of the Appropriations Committee of the House of Representatives. The report shall also be posted on the Department's publicly accessible website. The report shall include data for the prior year as follows:

(1) Regarding home repairs, the report shall include:

(A) the total number of units repaired or made accessible;

(B) the total program funds invested in repair activities with average costs per unit;

(C) the total number of applications received, approved, and denied including a summary of the most common reasons for denial of applications; and

(D) income and demographic information for all households assisted with home repair grants.

(2) Regarding the workforce development, the report shall include:

(A) the total amount of program funds invested in workforce development programs;

(B) the total number and average amount of cash stipends provided to trainees; and

(C) the income and demographic information for individuals assisted by workforce development funds.

(3) For administration and coordination, the report shall include:

(A) information on existing home repair programs to which individuals or households were referred to including:

(i) the number of individuals or households connected to such programs;

(ii) the extent to which those programs addressed the identified needs; and

(iii) whether additional program funds under the Senior Home Preservation Program were required to address needs not fully covered by existing home repair programs;

(B) a summary of the most common referrals;

(C) the number of new staff hired to fulfill program services; and

(D) a summary of systems improvements used to fulfill program services.

Section 30. Senior Home Preservation Program Fund. The Senior Home Preservation Program Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. The Fund shall consist of any appropriations made to the Department for the operation and administration of the Senior Home Preservation Program and the Workforce Development Home Repair Program. The Department is authorized to accept and deposit into the Fund any moneys donated from private individuals or entities for the purposes of those programs. All interest earned on moneys in the Fund shall be deposited into the Fund. Subject to appropriations, the Department shall use monies in the Fund to provide grants to delegate agencies to provide minor rehabilitation services to legacy resident low-income senior homeowners that will preserve the habitability and safety of their homes, and to cover administrative expenses related to the operation of Senior Home Preservation Program and the Workforce Development Home Repair Program.

Section 35. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.1038 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.1038 new)

Sec. 5.1038. The Senior Home Preservation Program Fund.