Mid Central Community Action, Inc. offers a range of housing programs to help families deal with housing issues. This includes programs to help homeless individuals and families find housing; counseling and case management assistance to help deal with barriers to housing; homebuyer education; foreclosure intervention; and down payment assistance.
MCCA Housing History
1988
-Purchased house (two units) for use as emergency housing for families
1992
-Rehabbed house and begin using it as transitional housing for homeless families
1993
-Purchased historical home and carried out a complete gut rehab with 100 community volunteers
-Home is for use as domestic violence short-term shelter (Neville House) for up to five families at a time
1994-95
-Purchased three homes (four units) for rehab for use as transitional housing and three lots for future development
-Became administrators of the McLean County Affordable Housing Coalition to provide down payment and closing cost assistance to first time homebuyers
1996
-Rehabbed home and developed formal program of Blended Management for all Transitional Housing
-Staff trained in Blended Management by Lakefront SRO in Chicago
1997
-helped start the McLean County Continuum of Care for homeless persons with local agencies and government, as a conduit organization for funding for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) programs to assist the homeless.
-Staff trained and certified as HUD Housing Counselors
1998
-At recommendation of Continuum of Care, purchased a house and two adjoining lots to develop permanent single room supportive service housing for homeless and other low-income single persons
1999
-Local contractor volunteered to build affordable homes on lots acquired in 1995, with donated labor and some materials from other corporations in the community
2000
-New house built and sold for $10,000+ under market price
-Two houses donated by Town of Normal to be used as transitional houses
-Affordable Housing Coalition expands to become the Central Illinois Coalition for Affordable Housing, including Livingston County
-Received $395,000 IHDA loan to assist first home buyers with down payment and closing costs
-State Farm Bank, Bloomington Community Development, Town of Normal, and MCCA form Olde Towne Neighborhood Redevelopment Partnership
-Funding awarded to develop Mayors’ Manor as permanent supportive housing. Funding sources include Low Income Tax Credit, Illinois Housing Development Authority loan, the City of Bloomington CDBG Grant, the Dept. of Commerce and Community Affairs, Energy Grant and the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) which provided grants to pay for a construction consultant
-Construction commenced on two remaining lots for affordable homes to be sold
-Staff receives ongoing training in all aspects of housing development, housing counseling and supportive services case management
2001
- Board of Directors accepts gift of Beich candy factory from Beich family
- Two additional homes on West Front Street built with donated labor are sold
2002
- Mayors Manor opens and almost immediately is fully occupied
- Application is submitted for membership in the NeighborWorks® America network
2003
- Board considers options for use of former Beich property
- Nine transitional homes now in operation
2004
-On September 22, 2004, MCCA chartered by Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation as a member of the NeighborWorks® America network of organizations
2005
- Former Beich candy factory burns to the ground in spectacular fire.
- Remaining demolition and clean up work completed.
- Three lots purchased in Pontiac for construction of affordable housing.
2006
- Plans made to develop a 23-home subdivision on the site of the former Beich factory
2007
- Infrastructure construction for Trailside subdivision completed
2008
- Three homes completed in Pontiac
- Four homes completed in Bloomington (Trailside subdivision)
