County Commissioners Focus on Housing for Homeless and Assistance for Water Bills

Meetings of the Committees of the Cook County Board
September 20, 2023

Commissioners spent much of the over 3-hour meeting of the Finance Committee discussing two proposals to utilize ARPA funds to provide loans for the purchase of hotels to provide long-term housing for the homeless.  Commissioners also discussed at length a proposal to utilize ARPA funds to help people pay their water bills.  All of these proposals for utilizing ARPA funds were passed (and subsequently approved by the Board on September 21).

Following are more details about these items, as well as other key items discussed at the Finance, Health & Hospitals, and Transportation Committees.

Finance Committee
Loans to purchase hotels:

• The Finance Committee approved two proposals to use ARPA funds: $7 M to provide a 30-year, interest free loan to Connections for the Homeless to acquire the Margarita Inn .in Evanston to create a fixed site, 70-person permanent shelter; and $6.5 M for a 30-year, interest free loan to Housing Forward and Oak Park Development Corp. to acquire the Write Inn in Oak Park to create a similar shelter, along with a medical respite supportive services facility for recuperative services.  (Items 23-4079 and 23-4091)
• Commissioner Moore and others voiced concern about spending these amounts in Oak Park and Evanston when there is an even greater homeless need in the South Suburbs.  Susan Campbell, the Director of Planning & Development, explained that in addition to the remaining ARPA funds, the County also has $28 M from HUD that can be used over the next 5 to 8 years for such projects, in contrast to ARPA funds that need to be spent by 2026. Ms. Campbell explained that it takes a long time to identify possible acquisitions such as these two to provide shelters, and while efforts have been focused on the South Suburbs, similar projects are not ready yet.
• Representatives from the groups receiving the loans explained that the concept of providing housing for the homeless has changed dramatically.  Prior to COVID, night-time only housing was provided utilizing different churches each night with a corps of volunteers.  That fell apart during COVID, and instead money was used to rent rooms in hotels.  This is not sustainable because of the high costs.  These 2 projects represent a new way forward.  With the County providing the up-front money to purchase the buildings, the groups will raise the money for the operating costs from other sources, both public and private.

Assistance with water bills  

• A revised approach to helping make water affordable was submitted to the Commissioners after their concerns with the initial version led to deferral at the last meeting in July.  Under the substitute, $7.9 M of ARPA funds was approved to provide assistance to qualifying suburban residents, with a required confirmation from the towns which will receive the payments for the accounts of their residents that the towns are, in turn, paying their suppliers (mainly the City of Chicago). Item 23-3116, which passed with Comm. Degnen voting no and Comm. Sean Morrison voting present.  (This was then approved by the Board on Sept. 21.)
• Comm. Degnen expressed concerns with both the high level of administrative costs (16%, or $1 M out of the total $7.9 M), as well as how the program is set-up, with the ultimate suppliers not necessarily receiving payment.  Comm. Morrison and Anaya both wanted the program to prioritize providing assistance to those residents who have received shut-off notices.  Comm. Moore also said that he thinks these funds would be better spent on water infrastructure, which is a major problem in some of the suburbs.

Comptroller’s Report

• For the 8 months of the fiscal year, there are positive variances with $258 M more in revenues than in expenses in the General Fund, and $275 M more in revenues than in expenses in the Health Enterprise Fund.  (Item 23-4548 and 4968)

Health & Hospitals Committee

• The head of the Public Health Department, Lamar Hasbrouck, told the Committee that the disparities between different racial and economic groups with regard to chronic diseases widened during the pandemic.  Lack of access to healthy food (food deserts) contributes to these disparities. Thirty-nine communities are receiving grants to help with this, along with providing health resources. (Item 23-3564)
• Dr. Hasbrouck also provided an update on infectious diseases:  The level of COVID remains low, but the number of cases has recently started to slowly rise.  Of concern:  there has been a dramatic fall-off on those getting the newer boosters.  For West Nile, the risk currently is high, with 30% of mosquito pools testing positive.  But there have been only 25 cases and 1 death since June 1.  There are almost no cases of Mpox.

Transportation Committee

• Jennifer (“Sis”) Killen, the Superintendent of Transportation & Highways, presented the Cook County Transit Plan.  (Item 23-3714)  There are 3 main goals:  (1) increase the use of public transit; (2) make the system more seamless; and (3) focus on the needs of transit-reliant communities -– the southern edges of Chicago and south suburbs are the worst in terms of availability of public transit.  
• Given the goals, the proposal is to make investments in (1) better bus service, especially supporting PACE with connecting suburb to suburb, and working with both PACE and the CTA to provide more frequent and longer hours of service (especially off-peak to serve the needs of those working those hours); (2) improving access to transit, such as investing in sidewalks to reach the transit and making accessibility improvements to train stations; (3) assist with service to new areas, recognizing there needs to be sufficient volume to make such service cost-effective; (4) where not cost-effective, assist with micro transit on demand; (5) help provide better bus stops, such as shelters and seating; and (6) fare integration  -- can currently use Ventra for both CTA and PACE, but Metra trains are not integrated.
• To implement this, the plan is (1) to partner and help fund moderately-sized projects; (2) leverage state and federal grants; (3) help fund start-ups of new programs to test ideas with pilots; and (4) provide support for policy implementations.
• Comm. Trevor explained that she understood that the normal process was to “receive and file” this plan, but she was going to vote “no” out of concerns with the methodology employed.  She said that the plan was put together after talking with current and lapsed riders.  She said they needed to talk to new, potential riders.  Also, she does not think the plan sufficiently addresses transit deserts and suburb to suburb transit.
• Comm. Stamps asked about the status of fare integration.  Supt. Killen said that there are active negotiations, but success could be a couple of years out.  They have to identify a capital fund path, as well as operating fund path.
• Comm. Morita said the #1 need for transit in her near north suburban district was transit to community colleges, specifically Oakton in Skokie. 

Observer - Priscilla Mims