The City, in partnership with Busey Bank, has been awarded a $67,500 from the 2019 Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago Affordable Housing Program. The grant will expand the work of the Garden Hills SLEEP Program by providing emergency escape and rescue windows and exterior lighting on yard poles and at entry points to 20 homeowners. After a competitive application process that began last spring, the Federal Home Loan Bank recently awarded $27.7 million in grants to 50 successful applicants, including Champaign. In total, 71 applicants applied for more than $46 million in affordable housing subsidies. As a component of the grant, Busey Bank has committed $75,000 for home improvement loans to five eligible households in the program.