June 28, 2004 – Bungalow owners seeking to certify their homes and apply for an array of grants have been inundating the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association (HCBA) with phone calls over the last two months, spurred on by information they gathered at the HCBA's extremely successful 3rd Annual Bungalow Expo held May 1st at the Illinois Institute of Technology.
HCBA staffers – following an Expo with a record turnout of 8,000 people – are now fielding more than a hundred calls a day. Since the Expo, they have certified more than 600 homes. If a home is certified, it falls within a prescribed set of design guidelines and qualifies as an historic Chicago bungalow, and thus is eligible for grants and other financial incentives available to bungalow owners.
"There is a great demand for our assistance," said Charles Shanabruch, HCBA Executive Director. "In one month period, we received 3,000 phone calls on our central number – that is a twenty percent increase over what we saw before the Expo. We are working overtime to make sure that bungalow owners are able to use as many programs as they can."
Not only are bungalow owners calling in record numbers, during those calls they are actively pursuing the full range of the HCBA's offerings: both financing and grant programs, including the restricted income grant and the energy grant.
Since the restricted income grants were announcement by Mayor Daley in March of 2004, 30 grants have been distributed. Another 35 applicants have been approved for eligibility and are either still getting estimates from contractors or finishing work. Applications for the restricted income grants have also been received from another 232 people. The HCBA has approved 54 applicants for the energy grants since the Expo with more applications arriving every week.
Using funds provided by the Illinois Housing Development Authority, owners of certified bungalows with limited incomes can receive grants of up to $5,000 for general rehab or restoration work on their existing homes. To be eligible, applicants must own a certified bungalow, use the home as a primary residence, and have a household income that does not surpass "low" and "very low" federal definitions (see table below).
| Household Eligibility | Low income (up to $3000 grant) |
Very low income (up to $5000 grant) |
| 1 person | $40,250 | $26,400 |
| 2 persons | $46,000 | $30,150 |
| 3 persons | $51,750 | $33,950 |
| 4 persons | $57,500 | $37,700 |
| 5 persons | $62,000 | $40,700 |
| 6 persons | $66,700 | $43,750 |
| 7 persons | $71,300 | $46,750 |
| 8 persons | $75,900 | $49,750 |
Homeowners must apply for the grants through the HCBA and the project must be approved before starting any work. Eligible projects include: repairs to roofs, soffit and fascia, gutters, masonry, windows, and bringing the plumbing and electrical systems up to code. Also included are new furnace and boiler systems, water heater, insulation and solar energy collection.
Another grant that the HCBA offers to homeowners is the energy savers grant. These are matching grants of up to $2,000 available to certified bungalow owners designed to make homes more energy efficient and are available for rehabilitation or restoration work on windows, doors, insulation, furnace, air conditioning systems, solar power, water heaters. Rehabilitation plans must conform to the HCBA Design Guidelines. The project must receive design approval from the HCBA before the work begins.
These grants are some of the many financial incentives that bungalow owners receive through the HCBA and City of Chicago programs. While some programs have restrictions on income or home price, others are available to everyone. Some additional financial programs are:
- Bungalow Mortgages—available to families earning as much as $120,00 per year to receive a credit between 4-20% of the mortgage
- Bungalow Rehab Loans—available to families making as much as $120,000 and allows them to take Federal tax credits up to $2,000 per year for the life of the loan
- Property Tax Relief—Homeowners in Bungalow Historic Districts are eligible for an eight year period of tax freezes
- Energy-Efficient Appliance Voucher—Homeowners can receive a $1,000 voucher for purchasing an energy efficient appliance if they spend more than $5,000 on rehab or restoration work.
The HCBA has also been targeting community groups and areas to inform large numbers of homeowners on the different programs and assistance they can offer. Nuri Choi, Program Director for the HCBA, has held workshops for both Alderman Brookins and at the Department of Aging Senior Fair at McCormick Place. She is continuing to do workshops for groups throughout July and August.
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley launched the Historic Chicago Bungalow Initiative four years ago to both celebrate and ensure the longevity of Chicago's historic bungalows. So far, the program has helped more than 4,200 homeowners throughout the city purchase, restore and adapt bungalows to modern family needs by providing special financing options, vendor discounts, technical assistance and education. Every year the HCBA holds a Bungalow Expo where owners and others can learn about financial options along with the purchasing and certification processes and experts in bungalow remodeling giving tips on bungalow restoration and rehab.
To apply for these grants or to inquire about certification or other programs that the HCBA offers, please contact 312-642-9900.