MURPHYSBORO – The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity recently awarded the City of Murphysboro with a $650,000 Community Development Block Grant for housing rehabilitation.

The city applied for the grant over a year ago. As part of the application process, residents were required to fill out questionnaires regarding repairs that needed to be done to their homes. The award announcement was delayed due to issues with the federal budget.

This grant will help Murphysboro stabilize neighborhoods, improve quality of life and reduce the need for housing demos.

The city will release more details regarding how this funding will be allocated to individual homeowners for repairs at some point in the future.