In newspapers large and small, Illinois REALTORS® Governmental Affairs Directors are calling attention to the housing affordability needs of their communities. They are also highlighting the availability of federal funds provided by the American Rescue Plan Act to invest in programs such as down-payment assistance grants, forgivable loans, construction of new homes and fixing up vacant properties.

In the February issue of the Illinois Business Journal, a letter from Ron Deedrick titled “Governments need to act on bolstering homeownership,” encourages “local governments to dedicate some of these additional revenues from the federal government to encourage homeownership.”

In a letter published in the Chicago Tribune, Joe Roth wrote, “Currently, the state is short more than 270,000 homes for those earning less than the area median income. This crisis is compounded when we consider the economic impact that housing has in Illinois. In 2020, the real estate industry accounted for $143.5 billion or 16.5% of the Illinois gross state product. This far exceeds any other sector of our state’s economy. The National Association of REALTORS® calculated that the average home sale in Illinois generates almost $70,000 in local economic impact.”

In a letter published in the Rockford Register Start titled “Local governments should invest in homeownership,” Neeley Erickson wrote, “The American Rescue Plan Act, passed earlier this year, appropriates billions of dollars directly to local communities to invest in solutions towards housing affordability such as down-payment assistance in the form of grants or forgivable loans, construction of new homes, and fixing up vacant and blighted properties.”

Adriann Murawski wrote in a letter titled “Local governments should use federal dollars for housing,” published in the Daily Line, “We have an incredible opportunity to unlock the American Dream of homeownership for local individuals and families. Programs created by the county could help with down-payment assistance in the form of grants or forgivable loans, construction of new homes, fixing up vacant and blighted properties, or helping local governments streamline housing permits.”

Jeff Merrinette wrote in his letter published by the Daily Herald titled “Use rescue funds to encourage home buying,” “There are opportunities to unlock the American Dream of homeownership for local families. Housing policy that safeguards homeowners and responsibly uses public funds encourages everyone to invest in themselves and the community.”

Illinois REALTORS® Governmental Affairs Directors will continue to encourage local governments throughout the state to utilize portions of The American Rescue Act funds to revitalize Illinois communities.