The Morton Grove Village Board approved a new program aimed at helping seniors living in the village afford vital improvements to their homes.
The longtime homeowner home improvement program is a project that mayor Janine Witko has been working on since she took office last May.
“It is a very important program that can help seniors stay in their home,” Witko said at the Jan. 27 Village Board meeting.
The program will allow for no-interest loans up to $10,000 to cover certain home maintenance expenses for some village residents over age 65 who live in their own homes.
Village attorney Teresa Hoffman Liston said the village has proactive code enforcement officers who alert residents to the need for repairs. But, she says for many, cost may get in the way.
“A lot of times people know they have problems, but they can’t afford it,” Hoffman Liston said. “This program is going to help them.”
The program is open to residents 65 and older who have owned and occupied their home for at least 10 years. Applicants must have a household income less than 80% of the area median income as defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For Morton Grove, that amounts to about $62,000 a year for an individual, $71,000 for a couple, or $89,000 for a family of four, according to rules of the program.
“The people have to apply for it. They have to prove that they’re in need,” said Trustee John Thill. “And it’s to help people stay in the town. It’s not to help people move into town.”
Thill characterized the program benefit as a loan that would have to be paid back in 10 years. But Community Development Administrator Brandon Nolin clarified that the program behaves more like a lien on the property that wouldn’t actually need to be repaid until the property is sold. He said the 10 years is actually how long the resident would have to remain in the home before selling.
“If you sell early – because we don’t want to encourage flipping – there is an interest penalty,” Nolin said. “You would have to pay back the principal in full.”
Nolin said the program will be funded through the village’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund. Established in 2022 to further the affordable housing goals of the village, the trust fund revenue is largely from fees paid by housing developers looking to bypass affordable housing requirements set forth in village code.
Nolin said that, as of December 2025, the Affordable Housing Trust Fund had about $350,000. The fund is also used to help pay for production of affordable housing, maintain existing affordable units and support several other efforts to meet the village’s affordability goal.
Municipalities in Illinois need to maintain at least 10% of their housing stock as affordable units to comply with state law. With 16% of its housing stock qualified as affordable, according to the Illinois Housing Development Authority, Morton Grove is within that compliance.
Alan Kozeluh is a freelancer.
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