HB5506 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

LRB103 38097 JRC 68229 b

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.

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.

Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Act:

"Delegate agency" means a contract with a unit of local government, 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 concerns" means home repairs that are required to ensure residential units are any of the following:

(1) fit for human habitation;

(2) free from defective conditions or health and safety hazards, including asbestos, mold, pests, or lead; or

(3) free of conditions preventing installation of measures to improve energy or water efficiency and lower utility costs.

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

(1) an owner 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; or

(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.

"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 200% of area median income.

"Minor rehabilitation services" includes but is not limited to the following, not to exceed $20,000 per unit for: security devices (installation of sprinkler systems, smoke detectors and deadbolt locks, and other devices for security purposes); conservation (costs required to increase the efficient use of water such as water saving faucets and shower heads) and improvements to increase the efficient use of energy in structures through such means as installation of storm windows and doors, insulation, and modification or replacement of heating and cooling equipment; water and sewer (costs of connecting existing residential structures to water distribution lines or local sewer collection lines); plumbing (costs related to fixing leaky or exposed pipes; unclogging sinks, tubs, and toilets; repairing or replacing faucets; replacing sump pumps and toilet tank workings; resetting or replacing toilets); electrical repairs (costs related to repairing or replacing light switches, sockets, light fixtures, ceiling fans, and doorbells; tools (costs of acquiring tools to be lent to licensed, skilled laborers who will use the tools to carry out rehabilitation); barrier removal (costs related to installing handrails, grab bars, and non-slip mats and treads); installing hand-held showers; repairing steps and flooring; changing and fixing interior doors; improving lighting, including night-lights for the bathroom; removing floor clutter; rearranging furniture; removing material and architectural barriers to restrict the mobility and accessibility of older and disabled persons to buildings and improvements that are eligible for rehabilitation under this category); or landscaping, sidewalks, and driveways (costs of installation or replacement of landscape materials, sidewalks, and driveways when incidental to other rehabilitation of the property).

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 Senior Home Preservation Program to provide grants to delegate agencies to provide minor 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 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 legacy resident senior, including improved accessibility for seniors with disabilities.

Home repair project types. The program shall provide funding for the following: 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.

(b) 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 applicants must meet to qualify for a grant under the program.

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

Section 20. Senior Home Preservation Program Fund. The Senior Home Preservation Program Fund is created as a special fund in the State treasury. In addition to any other amounts deposited into the Fund, there shall be deposited into the Fund all moneys donated to the State by private individuals or entities for purposes for which moneys in the Fund may be used as provided in this Section. Subject to appropriations, the Department of Human Services shall use moneys in the Fund to make grants to provide grants to delegate 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 a legacy resident senior 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 legacy resident senior, including improved accessibility for seniors with disabilities.

Section 90. The State Finance Act is amended by adding Section 5.1015 as follows:

(30 ILCS 105/5.1015 new)

Sec. 5.1015. The Senior Home Preservation Program Fund.