Urbana council certifies Habitat for Humanity as CHDO, approves $197,500 for five affordable homes

The Urbana City Council voted to certify Habitat for Humanity of Champaign County as a Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) for HOME Program Year 2026 and authorized $197,500 in development funds to support five affordable single-family homes ($39,500 per project) plus $30,000 for operating support.

Staff explained the HOME/CHDO set-aside funds support development costs for income-qualified homebuyers across the Urbana-Home Consortium, and noted three of the five projects will be in Champaign while two will be in Urbana. The Community Development Commission unanimously recommended the resolutions, and council discussion focused on Habitat’s long-standing partnership with the city and how affordability is calculated.

A Habitat representative said appraisal-based pricing in the community has recently been around $140,000 and that typical homeowner mortgages after down-payment assistance are substantially lower. The two linked motions (certification and funding agreement) were placed on the consent agenda and approved without roll-call dissent.

Next steps: staff will finalize funding agreements and project pro formas included in the packet, and Habitat will proceed with development under HOME program requirements.