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Five Northwest suburbs team up to fund upgrade of Children's Advocacy Center

Five Northwest suburbs and Cook County are taking the rare step of pooling some of their federal funding to pay for a $215,600 renovation of the Children's Advocacy Center of North & Northwest Cook County in Hoffman Estates.

The agency's mission is to help and heal abused children, as well as prevent violence against children. The Hoffman Estates location serves more than 800 children and their families each year.

"What we hope to do is create a safer and better environment for the children and families we serve," Executive Director Mark Parr said.

The summer project will be funded by Community Development Block Grant money the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awards annually to local governments. Cook County is contributing $86,000, while Hoffman Estates will give $49,600. Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Palatine and Schaumburg are contributing $20,000 each.

The advocacy center's building at 640 Illinois Blvd. is Hoffman Estates' former village hall. The village leases it to the agency for $1 a year, said village management analyst Ryan Johnson.

The planned work includes upgrades to the building's roof, siding, windows, heating, air conditioning and accessibility for the disabled. Though the number of those served by the center unfortunately has been rising in recent years, the project does not include an expansion, Parr said.

Officials hope the way the local governments are sharing resources on the project is a model for the future.

"It's extremely rare, and that has actually made the project a little more difficult," Johnson said. "But HUD has been very supportive of it and would like to see more projects like it."

Though CAC of North & Northwest Cook County serves a total of 38 communities, the funding is coming from the local governments eligible for the community development grants, Parr said. Communities receive the grants for projects that either provide suitable living environments or expand economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents.

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