Arlington Heights hears grant requests from agencies
Nearly two dozen social service agencies asked Arlington Heights officials on Monday for a portion of federal funding the village distributes each year, but not all of them will get the money.
Overall, 21 social service agencies asked the village for a piece of the Community Block Development Grant pie, which officials estimated will total $513,300 this year. But with more than $600,000 in funds requested, some social service agencies will have to do without additional funding.
“We only have limited funds to give out, and it's very difficult for us to give money to some and not to others,” said Mayor Tom Hayes. “We do our best to try to spread money that we've been allocated as best we can.”
Agencies including Journeys the Road Home, WINGS and the Arlington Heights Park District made their case to the village board on Monday by explaining what their organizations do for the community and how many people needy Arlington Heights residents they serve each year.
“The people we are serving are at the very bottom. They've lost everything,” said Jene Hencin of Journey the Road Home, which runs homeless shelters in the Northwest suburbs. “They've lost everything, and losing everything, including your home, can shatter your spirit.”
According to staff recommendations, no new agencies will receive funding next year, meaning agencies including Life Span, The Center for Enriched Living and Shelter Inc. would not be funded.
Each year the village allocates $150,000 of the block grant funding to the Arlington Heights Senior Center. The staff also recommended spending $125,000 of the money toward the village's single-family rehab loan program and $60,000 to help fund the housing planner's salary and administrative costs.
The staff recommendations will be available online for 30 days, and the village board is expected to approve the allocations — which could still change due to shifts in federal funding — on March 2.
Several trustees spoke of the difficulty of deciding among important agencies.
Trustee Joe Farwell brought up a recent domestic violence case that is still fresh in the minds of many in Arlington Heights — the November murder of resident Roxana Abrudan. Her husband, Cristian Loga-Negru, is facing murder charges in Wisconsin after her gruesome slaying.
Abrudan had made several police reports about abuse by her husband and was in the process of obtaining an order of protection against him when she was killed.
“When you're able to put a story behind it and know that somebody fell through the cracks, it's very real,” Farwell said. “It was life and death for her. She puts a face on it this year for us.”