DFCS

This program provides funding to agencies to fund legal aid organizations across the State of Illinois to provide direct legal aid and assistance to increase awareness around renter rights and to represent renters in eviction court proceedings.

Order under Section 361 of the Public Health Service Act (42.U.S.C. 264) and 42 Code of Federal Regulations 70.2

Illinois Equal Justice Act (30 ILCS 765/1 et. seq.) Executive Order 2021-11 extends the moratorium on Illinois evictions to June 26, 2021; Executive Order 2021-(COVID-19 EXECUTIVE ORDER NO.82)

30 ILCS 708/) Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (310 ILCS 70/) Homelessness Prevention Act (310 ILCS 70/2) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 1302) Sec. 2. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds that homelessness frequently results from a temporary economic crisis such as a temporary loss of employment, medical emergency, or loss or interruption of public benefits. It is also found that the prevention of homelessness, as opposed to providing temporary shelter or offering other short-term solutions to persons who become homeless, is cost-effective, preserves family self-respect and helps to keep families intact. The General Assembly also finds that short-term interventions for the prevention of homelessness serve to prevent the need for long-term assistance programs that are more costly to taxpayers. (Source: P.A. 91-388, eff. 1-1-00.) (30 ILCS 708/) Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (310 ILCS 70/) Homelessness Prevention Act (310 ILCS 70/2) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 1302) Sec. 2. Legislative findings. The General Assembly finds that homelessness frequently results from a temporary economic crisis such as a temporary loss of employment, medical emergency, or loss or interruption of public benefits. It is also found that the prevention of homelessness, as opposed to providing temporary shelter or offering other short-term solutions to persons who become homeless, is cost-effective, preserves family self-respect and helps to keep families intact. The General Assembly also finds that short-term interventions for the prevention of homelessness serve to prevent the need for long-term assistance programs that are more costly to taxpayers. (Source: P.A. 91-388, eff. 1-1-00.) (310 ILCS 70/4.5) Sec. 4.5. Grant eligibility. The Department shall award grants to grantees that agree to focus their emergency response systems on homeless prevention and securing permanent or transitional housing for homeless households. The Department shall consider the extent to which the proposed project activities demonstrate ways in which existing resources in a service area may be more effectively coordinated. Priority in awarding grants will be given to applicants participating in an established continuum of care. (Source: P.A. 91-388, eff. 1-1-00.) (310 ILCS 70/8) (from Ch. 67 1/2, par. 1308) Sec. 8. Payment of assistance. Assistance provided under this Act may be paid to a landlord, mortgage company, utility company, or other vendor who provides housing or other services to an applicant for assistance. (Source: P.A. 96-291, eff. 8-11-09.) (310 ILCS 70/11) Sec. 11. The program shall provide for outreach to persons who are likely to be in need of assistance. Such outreach may include, but shall not be limited to, general publicity, and cooperation with other agencies and court and sheriff's personnel involved in eviction matters. Title 47: Housing and Community Development; New Part 47-378.304: Eviction Moratorium (Eff 5/14/21; Exp 10/10/21) EMERGENCY - 45 Ill. Reg. 6675 Bipartisan-Bicameral Omnibus COVID Relief Deal- https://rules.house.gov/sites/democrats.rules.house.gov/files/BILLS-116HR133SA-RCP-116-68.pdf(30 ILCS 765/) Illinois Equal Justice Act

The legal assistance component of the program provides a suite of resources for participants to utilize, depending on where they are in eviction proceedings. These include a central intake and needs assessment, eviction prevention tools and resources, know your rights trainings/resources, virtual legal clinics, direct legal representation, mediation, and courtroom access to rental assistance. This funding has been provided by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) in response to the current eviction crisis which has been heightened by the public health pandemic. IEJF has been charged with distributing the grant funding to civil legal aid and mediation organizations to assist Illinois residents facing eviction and housing instability. This funding supports the state-wide eviction services created in FY 21 as Eviction Help Illinois.

Yes

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Nonprofit Organizations; Government Organizations;

The applicant must meet the Registration, Pre-qualification and any other Mandatory Requirements listed in this funding opportunity. Applicants must provide the following information via the Grantee Portal annually to be registered with the State of Illinois as an awardee: • Organization name and contact information • Federal Employee Identification Number (FEIN) • Unique Identity Number (UEI) • Organization type Applicants must be prequalified; therefore, applications from entities that have not prequalified prior to and on the due date of this application will NOT be reviewed and will NOT be considered for funding. Items a) through e) below are the prequalification requirements. a) Unique Entity Identifiers and SAM Registration: Each applicant (unless the applicant is an individual or State awarding agency that is exempt from those requirements under 2 CFR § 25.110(b) or (c), or has an exception approved by the Federal or State awarding agency under 2 CFR § 25.110(d)) is required to: • Be registered in SAM.gov before the application due date. • Provide a valid unique entity identifier (UEI) in its application. • Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active award or an application or plan under consideration by the awarding agency. The State Agency may not make an award until applicant has fully complied to all UEI and SAM requirements. The State Agency may determine that an applicant is not qualified if they have not complied to requirements and use that determination as a basis to award another applicant or applicants. b) Must be in "good standing" with the Illinois Secretary of State if the Illinois Secretary of State requires the entity's organization type to be registered. c) Must not be on the Illinois Stop Payment List d) Must not be on the Sam.gov Exclusion List e) Must not be on the Medicaid Sanctions List Additional Mandatory Requirements A) Applicants should demonstrate their compliance with the following requirements that will be incorporated into the grant agreement: i) Advance coordinated, statewide efforts to prevent eviction and reduce entries into homelessness by strengthening access to legal assistance, mediation, and housing stabilization supports. ii) Support system alignment across housing, legal services, and human services partners to improve pathways for households experiencing housing instability to remain safely housed. iii) Implement service delivery strategies that promote equitable access to prevention resources, particularly for communities disproportionately impacted by housing instability. iv) Strengthening collaboration among legal aid providers, courts, mediation partners, and community-based organizations to improve outcomes for households at risk of eviction. v) Administer program funds in a manner that builds sustainable infrastructure for eviction prevention and supports long-term systems improvements. vi) Track and report performance outcomes demonstrate progress toward housing stability, reduced displacement, and improved coordination across systems. vii) Maintain compliance with federal and state grant requirements, including financial management standards, performance reporting, and monitoring expectations. viii) Contribute to broader statewide efforts to improve housing stability and advance Illinois' goal of preventing and ending homelessness.

Illinois tenants may be eligible to receive ILRPP assistance if: The household is at risk of homelessness or housing instability (i.e. household received a past due rent or eviction notice). The household lives in Illinois and rents their home as their primary residence. The total gross income cannot exceed 80% Area Median Income for location (find county income limits here). The household experienced a financial hardship, including a loss of income or increased expenses, due to the COVID-19 pandemic

Project Grants

Human Services

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N/A

All competitive grant applications are subject to merit-based review. Review criteria are based upon the requirements set forth in the following: 44 IL Adm. Code 7000.350 - Merit Based Review of Grant Applications http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/044/044070000D03500R.html and the IDHS Merit Review Manual. The methods for submitting the application: 1. Applicants must electronically submit the complete application including all required narratives and attachments in the prescribed order: a. Program Narrative b. Uniform Application for State Grant Assistance(pdf) c. Grantee Conflict of Interest Disclosure d. Budget (entered into the CSA system as described in section (4)(A) 2. Applications must be sent electronically to DHS.OHS.KeyProjects@Illinois.gov. The application will be electronically time-stamped upon receipt. The Department will ONLY accept applications submitted by electronic mail sent to DHS.OHS.KeyProjects@Illinois.gov. Include the following in the subject line: NOFO number and your agency name. Application submissions or delivery to any other email address or contact, including other IDHS offices or employees, will not be considered for review or funding. Applications will not be accepted if received by fax machine, hard copy, disk, or thumb drive. 3. Documents must include the following password: n/a. 4. Software or electronic capabilities required are as follows: n/a. 5. Applicants are required to notify the Department within 48 hours of the deadline if they did not receive an email notifying them that their application was received. If the applicant does not receive an email and does not notify the Department within 48 hours, their application will be considered a late submission and will NOT be reviewed or scored. The applicant will NOT have the right to protest the submission/receipt of their application to the Department after the 48 hours. In the event of a dispute the applicant bears the burden of proof that the application was received on time at the email location listed above (and that the budget was submitted into the CSA system on time). 6. Pre-application materials must be submitted as follows: N/A

1. Evaluation criteria is based upon requirements set forth in 44 Ill Admin Code 7000.350 Merit Review of Applications and the IDHS Merit Review Manual. The review criteria and sub-criteria include the following: A. Applications will be evaluated based applicant's response to the program narrative described in Section 4.i.3 Program Narrative and Contents. Each section will be weighted as described below. 2. Criteria and Weighting of Each Criteria A. Criteria and Weighting of each criterion: i. Executive Summary (5 points) ii. Capacity/Agency Qualifications (30 points) iii. Community Identification/Description of Need (10 points) iv. Quality/Description of Program Services, Design and Implementation (Project Plan) (45 points) v. Budget & Cost Justification (10 points) vi. Additional detail is provided in the Application (Attachment A). B. Budget & Costs Justification: The extent to which the budget narrative provides: i. Thorough and clear justification for all proposed line-item expenditures. ii. All expenditures and program costs are reasonable and allowable. iii. Proposed staffing is sufficient to address customer projections and customer language needs. iv. Where available, supplemental or companion funding is clearly identified. 3. Statutory, regulatory, or other preferences a. n/a. 4. Cost Sharing will not be considered in the review process. 5. Information regarding Applicant-nominated reviewers: n/a. ALL applicants must demonstrate that they meet all requirements under this NOFO as described throughout. Applications that fail to meet the criteria described in the Eligible Applicants and Mandatory Requirements of Applicants as identified in Section C Eligibility Information will not be evaluated and considered for funding.

1. Merit Reviewers a. DHS staff 2. The number of people on an evaluation panel and how it operates, how reviewers are selected, reviewer qualifications, and how conflicts of interest are avoided. a. The process for evaluation of the application is as follows: applications that meet mandatory requirements noted in CITE will be evaluated by the merit review committee, which will consist of a minimum of three subject matter experts employed by IDHS. The merit review committee will establish a minimum threshold score, then evaluate each application and assign a numerical score. The merit reviewers will meet to discuss any applications where there is a variance of 10% or greater in their initial scoring and may revise their score as a result of that discussion. The final average of all merit reviewer scores will be the application's score. The numerical score may not be the sole award criterion. 3. Scoring will be on a 100-point scale. The numerical score may not be the sole award criterion. The Department reserves the right to consider any factors such as: geographical distribution, demonstrated need, and agency past performance as a State of Illinois grantee, etc. While the recommendation of the review panel will be a key factor in the funding decision the Department maintains final authority over funding decisions and considers the findings of the reviewers to be non-binding recommendations. Any internal documentation used in scoring or awarding of grants shall not be considered public information. 4. In the event of a tie with insufficient funding for all tied applications, the Department may choose to elect one or more of the following options: a. Apply one or more of the additional factors for consideration described above to prioritize the applications; or b. Partially fund each of the tied applications; or c. Not fund any of the tied applications. The Department reserves the right to negotiate with successful applicants to adjust award amounts, targets, deliverables, etc. The Department reserves the right to approve all or deny any portion of an application. In accordance with Section C. Eligibility Information, an entity must be in qualified status as of the Application Review Date for their grant application to be considered by the state awarding agency. Merit-Based Review Appeal Process In accordance with GATA Administrative Rules, Section 350, Merit Based Review of Grant Applications, a merit-based application review is required for competitive Grants and Cooperative Agreements, unless prohibited by State or federal statute. Deadlines N/A • This Notice of State Award (NOSA) is not an agreement nor a guarantee of an agreement. IDHS will publish its agreements in the CSA Tracking System after the NOSA is accepted. A signed hard copy is not needed. You also have the option to decline. • If your response(s) to the ICQ questions indicate a weakness in the identified area below, a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) is required to be submitted to your cognizant agency. If IDHS is your Cognizant Agency, please send an email to DHS.DMHGrantApp@Illinois.gov to begin communicating the direction and requirements of the CAP.

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In accordance with GATA Administrative Rules, Section 350, Merit Based Review of Grant Applications, a merit-based application review is required for competitive Grants and Cooperative Agreements, unless prohibited by State or Federal statute. The appeals process is set forth in section 7000.350 available here: http://www.ilga.gov/commission/jcar/admincode/044/044070000D03500R.html A. Merit Based Review Appeal Process 1. Competitive grant appeals are limited to the evaluation process. Evaluation scores may not be protested. Only be evaluation process is subject to appeal and shall be reviewed by IDHS' Appeal Review Officer (ARO). a. Submission of Appeal i. Appeals submission IDHS contact information: 1. Contact Name: Shawna Sepich 2. Email address: DHS.OHS.KeyProjects@Illinois.gov 3. Email Subject Line: Appeal of Eviction Mitigation Legal Assistance Program NOFO Evaluation Process ii. An appeal must be submitted in writing to appeals submission IDHS contact listed above, who will send to the IDHS Appeal Review Officer (ARO) for consideration. iii. An appeal must be received within 14 calendar days after the date that the grant award notice has been published. iv. The written appeal shall include at a minimum the following: 1. Name and address of the appealing party 2. Identification of the grant; and 3. Statement of the reasons for the appeal 4. Supporting documentation, if applicable b. Response to appeal i. IDHS will acknowledge receipt of an appeal within 14 calendar days from the date the appeal was received. 1. IDHS will respond to the appeal within 60 days or supply a written explanation to the appealing party as to why additional time is required. 2. The appealing party must supply any additional information requested by IDHS within the time period set in the request c. Resolution i. The ARO will make a recommendation to the Agency Head or designee as expeditiously as possible after receiving all relevant, requested information. ii. In determining the appropriate recommendation, the ARO shall consider the integrity of the competitive grant process and the impact of the recommendation on the State Agency. iii. The Agency will resolve the appeal by means of written determination. iv. The determination shall include, but not be limited to: v. Review of the appeal; vi. Appeal determination; and vii. Rationale for the determination.

Renewals are at the discretion of the department and based on the performance of the grantee.

This program has no cost sharing or matching requirement.

Uses: Legal aid assistance

a. Submission of accurate Monthly Grant Invoice (IL 444-5257 (R-10-22)) with general ledger and supporting documentation by the 15th of each month for expenses incurred in the previous month. b. Submission of accurate Periodic Performance Reports (GOMBGATU-4001 (N-08-17) no later than 15 days after the quarter ends. c. Submission of accurate quarterly Periodic Financial Reports (GOMBGATU-4002 (N-08-17) no later than 15 days after the quarter ends. d. Submission of Close Out Reports no later than 60 days after this Agreement's end of the period of performance or termination. e. Submission of any other documentation requested by DHS within 10 days of request. f. Time Period for Close-out Reports. Grantee shall submit a Close-out Report pursuant to Paragraph 10.2 and no later than 60 days after this Agreement's end of the period of performance or termination. g. Time Period for Required Periodic Performance Reports. Grantee shall submit Performance Reports to Grantor pursuant to Paragraph 10.1 and such reports must be submitted no later than 15 days after the quarter ends. Periodic Performance Reports will include the following information: funding source, program name, total reporting period awards, total remaining to award, and applicable award demographics (when applicable and available). h. Time Period for Required Periodic Financial Reports. Grantee must submit Performance Reports to Grantor no later than 15 days after the quarter ends. i. Time Period for Close-out Performance Reports. Grantee agrees to submit a Close-out Performance Report, pursuant to Paragraph 11.2 and no later than 60 days after this Agreement's end of the period of performance or termination. j. Reported expenses should be consistent with the approved annual grant budget. Any expenditure variances require prior Grantor approval in accordance with Article VI of the Uniform Grant Agreement to be reimbursable.

Grantee shall be subject to the audit requirements contained in the Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996 (31 USC 7501-7507) and Subpart F of 2 CFR Part 200, and the audit rules and policies set forth by the Governor's Office of Management and Budget. See 30 ILCS 708/65(c); 44 Ill. Admin. Code 7000.90

Grantee shall maintain for three (3) years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report, adequate books, all financial records and, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to this Award, adequate to comply with 2 CFR 200.334, unless a different retention period is specified in 2 CFR 200.334 or 44 Ill. Admin. Code 7000.430(a) and (b). If any litigation, claim or audit is started before the expiration of the retention period, the records must be retained until all litigation, claims or audit exceptions involving the records have been resolved and final action taken.

General Revenue Funds

PY $5,000,000 CY $5,000,000

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N/A

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Illinois Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Community Services

https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=178940

Rental and Court Based Assistance, Immigrant and Refugee Housing Assistance Project, Emergency Rental Assistance Program, Housing Awareness Assistance Program

N/A

5/12/2026

Merit Based Review; Notice of Funding Opportunity; Other;

FY 2021 : $2,000,000
FY 2022 : $5,833,358
FY 2023 : $4,652,903
FY 2024 : $2,000,000
FY 2025 : $5,000,000
FY 2026 : $5,000,000
FY 2027 : $5,000,000