Section 670.50  Eligible Capital Improvement Project Activities

a)         DCEO shall make grant awards through a competitive application process to eligible human services providers as described in this Part, contingent on available funds. The grant awards shall be made to support capital improvements to facilities located in Illinois and utilized by human services providers to deliver services to low-income or marginalized populations.  The specific types of capital improvement project activities permitted will be dependent on the funding source.

1)         Grant awards funded by Build Illinois must be used by the grantees for bondable capital improvements.  A bondable capital improvement is a project for which:

A)        The activities improve upon or expand a facility owned or leased by a human services provider and generally include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following purposes:

i)          architectural planning and engineering design;

ii)         demolition (in preparation for additional work);

iii)        site preparation and improvement;

iv)        utility work;

v)         new construction of buildings and structures;

vi)        reconstruction or improvement of existing buildings or structures;

vii)       original furnishings and durable equipment;

viii)      replacement of currently utilized assets by a better asset; or

ix)        expansion of existing buildings or facilities; and

B)        The useful life of the project is greater than or equal to the average life of the bond issuance from which the project is financed.  Most of the State's bonds are issued as 25-year level principal issues with an average life of approximately 13 years.

2)         Grant awards funded by Rebuild Illinois must be used by the grantees for capital improvements.  A capital improvement funded by Rebuild Illinois is a project for which:

A)        The activities physically expand or improve upon a facility owned or leased by a human services provider and generally include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following purposes:

i)          building maintenance projects;

ii)         addressing building life-safety code deficiencies;

iii)        architectural planning and engineering design;

iv)        demolition (in preparation for additional work);

v)         site preparation and improvement;

vi)        utility work;

vii)       new construction of buildings and structures;

viii)      reconstruction or improvement of existing buildings or structures;

ix)        original furnishings and durable equipment;

x)         replacement of currently utilized assets by a better asset; or

xi)        expansion of existing buildings or facilities.

3)         Activities for both Build Illinois and Rebuild Illinois do not include:

A)        capital improvements made to a personal residence even if it is used by the human services provider to perform services; or

B)        using grant funds to acquire land or a building or to conduct site selection.

b)         DCEO may issue grant awards to human services providers either directly (see Subpart B) or through subawards issued by an intermediary (see Subpart C).

c)         DHS shall establish standards for determining the priorities concerning the necessity for capital facilities for the provision of human services based on data available to DHS [20 ILCS 605/605-1030(c)].

1)         DHS will consult with DCEO and engage with human services providers across the State to determine the priorities and capital improvement needs of the providers.

2)         DCEO will utilize the data gathered by DHS, and based on the funding available, will set capital improvement project priorities for each round of funding for the program.

d)         A cash match of grant funds issued by DCEO under this Part will not be required of grantees.