Community Development Block Grant

A Federal Grant Program

The Administration, Planning, and Finance Departments manage the Town’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.  This federal grant program is made available for select cities, referred to by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as "Entitlement Communities," to benefit low- and moderate-income individuals and families.  

For a variety of general and Normal-specific information about the CDBG Program, please visit the McLean County Regional Planning Commission's website.

DRAFT Revised 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan & 2020-2021 Action Plan

As part of the recently passed federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the Town of Normal will be receiving a special, additional allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for Program Year 2020-2021 (April 1, 2020 through March 31, 2021). These funds, referred to as CDBG-CV (Coronavirus), are granted through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and are to be solely used to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus (COVID-19). The Town’s CDBG-CV allocation is in the amount of $246,067. 

In order to receive CDBG-CV funds, the Town must revise its 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan (and incorporated 2020-2021 Action Plan) to reflect the budgeting and programming of these new funds and submit the plan to HUD for approval.

The revised plan is available here or by clicking on the heading above or the labelled image to the right. All proposed revisions and additions to the plan are visible in red.

At this time, based on extensive service provider and stakeholder input, the Town of Normal proposes providing all of its $246,067 in CDBG-CV funds to area service providers to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic’s effects on the housing, food, and health of income-qualified residents of Normal. While these three priorities are broad and only a snapshot of the current needs related to the pandemic, the determination of these priorities gives the Town and its partners enough information to begin the process of submitting a revised version of the 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan to HUD, thus bringing these funds into the community. HUD purposefully suggests that entitlement communities keep the priorities for these funds somewhat broad so that municipalities may be nimble in serving local needs over the coming months.

As the effects of the pandemic will continue to evolve over time, the Town’s plans for the use of CDBG-CV funds must evolve with them. Using the expedited public comment process recommended by HUD and proposed by the Town in its Amended Citizen Participation Plan, the Town may amend its plans at any time to address different or increased needs as they arise.

Public Comment

A public hearing will be held to solicit comments on the revised 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan starting at 6:55 p.m. before the regular Normal Town Council meeting on Monday, May 18, 2020. The hearing and Town Council meeting are open to the public and will take place over Zoom. The hearing will be completely virtual, so no persons will be present in the Council Chambers and no in-person public comment will be allowed.

Those wishing to provide comment at the hearing will need to register by emailing their full name and the phone number that will be used to call into the hearing to the City Clerk at ahuonker@normal.org prior to 6:30 p.m. on May 18, 2020. Once registered with the City Clerk, commenters will receive the meeting call-in number and meeting ID, along with instruction on how to join the virtual meeting.

Public comments on the plans will be also be accepted in writing via mail or email from Thursday, May 7, 2020, through Sunday, May 24, 2020. Written comments should be submitted to:   Town of Normal, Attn: Taylor Long, Associate Planner, 11 Uptown Station, Normal, IL 61761 or tlong@normal.org.

If you have any questions regarding the revised plan or how best to submit comments please call (309) 454-9642 or email tlong@normal.org.

Original 2020-2021 Action Plan Budget


The original plan, approved by the Normal Town Council on January 21, 2020, included the budget outlined below for the $805,759 in regular CDBG funding then known to be available for Program Year 2020-2021. No changes are proposed to be made to the original budget, aside from the redistribution of $15,000 from Program Administration to fund a COVID-19-related In-Home Education Assistance Program. 

  • Continued funding to the Unity Community Center for after-school youth activities and to PATH’s Homeless Outreach Services Program ($62,400)
  • Assistance for the rehabilitation and improved accessibility of housing for income-qualified residents through administration of the Town’s Homeowner Emergency Repair and Accessibility Program and partnerships with Habitat for Humanity McLean County and the local, Cornbelt Chapter of AMBUCS ($72,850)
  • Funding for anti-housing discrimination assistance through a partnership with Prairie State Legal Services ($10,000)
  • Funding for infrastructure improvements in income-qualified areas of the community, particularly for sidewalk and ADA ramp construction ($263,467)
  • Funding for property acquisition for sidewalk right-of-way in income-qualified areas of the community ($30,000)
  • Continued funding and staff involvement with the McLean County Regional Planning Commission’s Regional Housing Advisory Committee ($20,000)
  • Funding for financial assistance to income-qualified home-buyers through the administration of the Town’s Down Payment Assistance Program ($34,500)
  • Funding for the increased availability of affordable housing through the acquisition of properties for subsequent development by Habitat for Humanity of McLean County ($25,000)
  • Funding for the rehabilitation of at least one section of sanitary sewer in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood ($23,884)
  • Funding for the resurfacing of at least one street in a low- to moderate-income neighborhood ($225,420)
  • Funding for general program administration (including travel and training, advertising costs, etc.) ($38,238)