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The Illinois Housing Development Authority (IHDA) and Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH) are encouraging development teams not to wait and apply today for the Supportive Housing Institute (SHI), a program designed to equip groups with the knowledge and tools to create affordable housing with supportive services. Applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. (CST) on Wednesday, January 22, 2025. Teams applying to SHI must include a housing developer, property manager, and a supportive services partner. In addition, teams are encouraged to include a person with lived experience to help provide valuable insight on how to design their housing to allow future residents the opportunity to maintain stability and achieve a higher quality of life. Those accepted into SHI will commit to attending two-day trainings in Springfield every month from March through June 2025 that will focus on the affordable housing development process. Over the four months, each team will identify a tenant population, finalize service and selection plans, identify unit size and composition, and ensure alignment with eligibility for federal and state funding programs. Upon completion, SHI participants will have created a fully developed and detailed supportive housing project designed to serve people who traditionally experience multiple barriers to stable housing. For more information, visit www.ihda.org or www.csh.org.

Don’t Lose Your Property! What to Do if Your Taxes Were Sold at the Cook County 2022 Annual Tax Sale

By Maria Pappas

The 2022 Annual Tax Sale, conducted by my office directed by Illinois law, was probably a worrisome process for property owners whose property taxes were delinquent and sold. Understanding how the process works and what steps to take can make the difference between catching up on your taxes or risking losing your property. Each year, delinquent property taxes are offered at the Annual Tax Sale so that local governments receive the revenue needed to operate. The property itself is not sold, but a third party pays the outstanding tax amount and places a tax lien on the property. The tax buyer then receives the right to repayment of the taxes, with applicable interest—or the right to go to court to request ownership of the property, if payment is not received. Tax buyers may not make changes to the taxpayer’s information or take any action regarding the property prior to obtaining a tax deed through the court. If your taxes were sold at the Annual Tax Sale, here are the next steps:

• Request an “Estimate of Redemption”: This document is obtained through the Cook County Clerk’s Office. It will provide a detailed calculation of the total amount you need to pay to redeem (pay back) the taxes for your property.

• Redeem your taxes: You have the right to regain control by paying the tax buyer the amount they paid at the Annual Tax Sale, plus applicable interest. This process, called redemption, is also handled through the Cook County Clerk’s Office.

Once a tax buyer acquires your tax debt in the Annual Tax Sale, the only way to redeem your delinquent taxes is to pay the debt, interest, and fees in a single payment. Partial payments are not accepted. That is why it is crucial to redeem your taxes as soon as possible to avoid an increase in the amount owed. Property owners have 2 ½ years to redeem sold taxes for residential properties and approximately one year to redeem sold taxes for commercial properties. After this period, the tax buyer can go to court to obtain ownership of your property. If your 2022 delinquent taxes were sold at the Annual Tax Sale in December 2024 and you are unable to redeem your taxes, consider seeking an attorney about other options available to resolve your situation. Acting quickly, understanding the process, and taking advantage of available resources will help you resolve this situation and maintain control of your property. On my office’s website, cookcountytreasurer.com, you will find more information.

The Illinois Secretary of State‘s office is working to bring IDs in Apple Wallet to Illinois residents in the future with the goal of launching by the end of the year, Secretary Alexi Giannoulias announced on Monday. This capability will enable residents to seamlessly and securely add and present their driver’s licenses and state IDs in person and in apps using their iPhone or Apple Watch. The news follows the legislation that took effect at the beginning of the year, which enabled the Secretary of State’s office to begin this work. The plan includes robust testing requirements to ensure the office delivers the most secure and private product for Illinois residents, Giannoulias said. The office has set up a sign-up page for Illinoisans to receive updates about the mobile driver’s license and state ID program and when IDs in Apple Wallet will become available for users. Anyone interested can visit www.ilsos.gov/mDL to sign up.

The Illinois State Treasurer’s Office returned nearly $299 million in missing money during 2024, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs announced on Tuesday. Illinois’ missing money program — also known as I-CASH — processed 331,032 claims last year. Preliminary numbers show that $260.6 million in cash and $38 million in securities were returned last year. The average amount of a claim was $902. I-CASH is one of the state’s oldest consumer protection initiatives. The State Treasurer is tasked with safeguarding unclaimed property, including unpaid life insurance benefits, forgotten bank accounts, unused rebate cards and the contents of overlooked safe deposit boxes. Treasurer Frerichs completely restructured the missing money process. The State Treasurer’s Office has added electronic claims, eliminated red-tape that slowed small-money claims, and leveraged technology to allow payments to be made without a claim even needing to be filed. Last fall, Frerichs returned nearly $13.2 million to 140,000 people as part of the latest round of the Enhanced Money Match program that allows the State Treasurer’s Office to automatically return money to individuals without the need to file a claim. The vast majority of checks were for $50 to $100.