Not to good to be true

In an effort to drum up more interest for a faltering townhouse rehabilitation project, Carpentersville staffers are pounding the pavement.

Residents of the Morningside neighborhood have been reluctant to take advantage of the $638,000 in grants and loans the village received last year to fix eligible properties.

The push for greater enrollment has been stepped up as one of the grants is set to expire in January.

Officials and residents blame the slow uptake on conditions that require residents to repay the grants if the homeowner moves within five years. Others say the program seems too good to be true.

So, Community Development Director Cindy McCammack and a volunteer are going door-to-door to answer questions and promote the Morningside Revitalization Project, a program to revamp the colorful townhouses on Morningside Circle and Morningside Lane.

"We are really trying to encourage the residents who are or will be participating in the program to talk to their neighbors," McCammack said. "Homeowners can rehab their homes at absolutely no cost to them."

McCammack said so far, six homeowners have signed up for the program, including three who registered after an Oct. 19 canvass.

There are 82 owner-occupied units in the neighborhood.

The money, administered by Elgin-based, nonprofit Community Contacts Inc., helps homeowners in the neighborhood classified as low-income and below, pay for needed interior and exterior improvements to bring their residences up to code.

Since October 2006, the village has received a $208,000 loan from Federal Home Loan Bank, $340,000 from the Illinois Housing Development Authority, and $175,000 from area banks.

Several local financial institutions including Amcore, Federal Home Loan, First American, Fifth Third, Home State and Midwest banks, provide forgivable and zero percent deferred loans to eligible homeowners.

The Federal Home Loan fund will expire in January, though the village could ask for an extension.

Despite drawing more than 50 residents to an informational meeting earlier this year, McCammack said only one home has been completed, with work recently beginning on another.

Felipa Nevaraz's home on the 2100 block of Morningside Lane was the first completed rehab of the program.

"I don't have the money to fix my house and I saw the opportunity," said Nevaraz, who has lived in the townhouse for 14 years. "I am very pleased with the work."

Nevaraz said she although she has tried to explain the program to neighbors, most are hesitant to sign up.

"People don't think that it's a real thing," Nevaraz said. "Who is going to give you money to fix your house for nothing?"

Yolanda Tapia, neighbor of Nevaraz, said she was afraid of owing the village money if she sold the townhouse she has lived in with her family for more than seven years.

"I am afraid of losing the home and money if I move," said Tapia, whose daughter Yolanda translated. "I didn't know how to fill out the paperwork and I threw it out."