CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) RESOURCE CENTER Read More
Add To Favorites

Naperville commission tasked with finding developer to build complex to house seniors, adults with disabilities

Naperville Sun - 9/17/2021

Sep. 17—Members of the Human Rights and Fair Housing Commission will get the chance to put their imprint on plans to bring much-needed housing to Naperville for those with disabilities and older adults.

In the coming year, the commission is expected to recommend which company the Naperville City Council should select to build a complex that both provides a place to live for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and addresses the lack of affordable housing for older adults.

This week, Councilman Patrick Kelly — the commission's city liaison — told members that the city has been approached by a group of parents of adult children with autism about the need for housing that would allow their children to live independently near them.

Nationally, about 75% of adults with a disability live with an aging parent or other caregiver, according to a study released last year by The Arc, the largest community-based organization for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, or IDD, in association with the Council on Quality Leadership.

The Arc study found aging caregivers are worried what will happen when they are no longer able to provide support because there are so few residential options for people with with IDD.

In addition, Naperville is under fire after being cited twice by the Illinois Housing Development Authority for its lack of affordable housing, particularly for older adults.

The city has been working with Chicago-based development adviser SB Friedman on a plan that would address the gap and create enough affordable housing to meet state and federal guidelines.

A suggestion from the consultant was to develop city-owned land, prompting the council to ask the Transportation, Engineering and Development department to determine which properties might be available. The idea would be to create a development in which for those with IDD and older adults could live at an affordable cost, according to Ruth Broder, community grants coordinator for the city.

In August, the council directed staff to draw up the paperwork necessary to solicit proposals for developing a section of vacant land Naperville owns at the southeast corner of 103rd Street and 95th Street.

A council vote formally authorizing the request is planned for Tuesday, and staff expects responses in three months.

Once proposals are submitted to the city, the commission agreed that Chairman Bradford Miller will work with staff to review, score and select the top proposals.

In early 2022, the commission will hold a community meeting so each development team has a chance to publicly present its proposal and answer questions before a commission recommendation is made to the City Council.

Mary Hamil, a member of the Accessible Community Task Force, told the commission her group has questioned if the list of groups targeted to submit proposals might include others in the disability community beyond seniors and those with IDD.

She said, for example, people in their 50s who are visually impaired don't fit in either category.

Staff in an August memo said the development plans should include environmentally-friendly and sustainable construction and design practices. The city also encourages state and federal grant programs be considered to maintain affordable status over time.

subaker@tribpub.com

___

(c)2021 the Naperville Sun (Naperville, Ill.)

Visit the Naperville Sun (Naperville, Ill.) at www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

Nationwide News