On November 16, 2023, the Cook County Board of Commissioners approved the creation of the Cook County Disaster Response and Recovery Fund with an initial appropriation of $100 million in this special purpose fund. Expenditure of the Disaster Response and Recovery Fund is only permissible upon the designation of a declared disaster at the County, State, or Federal level.
In FY 2024, the Disaster Response and Recovery Fund was allocated $20 million for municipal or local government costs related to disaster response and recovery, which may include support for new arrivals.
In the case of a declared disaster, municipalities would be eligible to apply for emergency funding as part of the $20 million municipal and local government allocation. The approval of any funds is at the discretion of the Chief Financial Officer and the Executive Director of the Department of Emergency Management and Regional Security. The stated allocation is approved for FY 2024 and is subject to change in future fiscal years.
To notify Cook County of an eligible ongoing disaster response, please contact us via email at duty.desk@cookcountyil.gov or via phone at our Duty Desk at 312-603-8185.
NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY - APPLICATIONS ARE CLOSED
This funding opportunity will support suburban municipalities that are willing to accept new arrivals that have come to the Chicagoland area since August 2022. Submit completed applications to emrs.finance@cookcountyil.gov.
Definition of “New Arrival”
The definition of “new arrival” for the purposes of this funding opportunity is as follows. (This eligibility definition may differ in other contexts.)
A new arrival is defined as “an individual who crossed the Mexico/U.S. border on or after August 1, 2022, with the intent to stay permanently, and who does not possess any permanent or interim U.S. legal status (which does not include being in parole status), such as legal permanent residency, a student or work visa, etc.”
Use of Funds and Eligible Expenses
The following categories would be eligible for funding:
Shelter & Transitional Housing Support
Safe and stable temporary housing options for new arrivals, including emergency shelter and transitional housing. Capital improvements and repairs necessary to make shelters operational would be eligible.
Food
Healthy and nutritious food options as part of sheltering operations.
Wraparound Services
Case management services and connection to support that increase self-sufficiency, including addressing urgent client needs, non-legal immigration support and referrals, early childhood education and school enrollment, ESL and adult education, informational workshops, interpretations and translations services, transportation, and health and wellness services, etc., assistance in screening for eligibility, and applying for eligible public benefits.
Resettlement Services:
Short-term rental assistance and case management services to secure permanent housing.
*Municipality staff’s time dedicated to coordinating new arrivals can be considered an eligible expense and included in budget requests.
Eligibility of Applicants
Only suburban Cook County municipal governments willing to support new arrivals are eligible to apply. While grants will be made directly to lead applying municipalities, these funds may be made available to other municipalities and/or organizations (e.g., non-profit organizations, academic institutions, community health centers, etc.) that choose to apply as subgrantee partner(s) to the lead municipality.
Process Timeline
Application Opens: Monday, March 11
Application Deadline: Will accept applications on rolling basis until Friday, April 19.
Award Announcement: Between April 1 – April 26
Grant Term: March 1– September 30, 2024