PLAINFIELD, IL, FEBRUARY 9, 2022 — Cicero Construction Group, a leading general contractor specializing in the renovation of commercial properties, demonstrated today its continued support for the Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) with the launch of a new services group targeted at renovating multi-family housing units throughout the state that have fallen into disrepair, therefore giving residents the opportunity to be stably housed and achieve their life goals.
Cicero Construction Group has been invited to bid on several multi-family residential renovations and repair projects funded by the IHDA, Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and other housing rehab program grants. Its new services group will be headed up by Lauren Cicero. Cicero Construction Group will provide full renovation, repair and maintenance services.
Serving as general contractor, Cicero Construction Group has a 50 year history of collaborating with many of the country's leading architects and engineers to successfully complete large-scale projects on time and on budget, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Of particular value to IHDA multi-family projects, Cicero Construction Group is highly skilled in the tightly sequenced, logistically-challenging renovation of fully occupied buildings, such as hotels and office complexes, without disrupting guests, residents or the community during the construction process. Many multi-family properties IHDA aims to renovate will remain occupied throughout construction cycles, making Cicero Construction Group's experience invaluable to ensuring safe, smooth delivery of affordable rental units with minimal interference.
Cicero Construction Group strongly supports the affordable housing goals of the IHDA. A 2021 report by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and Housing Action Illinois found that there are only 39 affordable and available rental units for every 100 extremely low-income renter households in Illinois, and that 68 percent of these households are severely housing cost-burdened, spending more than half of their incomes on housing, with little left over for basic necessities. In July 2021, Gov. JB Pritzker directed IHDA to create a COVID-19 Affordable Housing Grant Program to support the rehabilitation of affordable rental housing in areas most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It directs $75 million in federal funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to multi-family development costs.