From McHenry County:
Home of the Sparrow Honored with Community Partner of the Year Award
WOODSTOCK, Ill. – The McHenry County Community Development Department has bestowed Home of the Sparrow with its 2025 Community Partner of the Year Award.
The Woodstock-based social service agency received the award for its vision and leadership in launching its Landlord Engagement Program, which was created to expand access to various types of housing, including workforce housing, in McHenry County.
Founded 37 years ago as a provider of transitional shelter, Home of the Sparrow has since grown to provide an array of services to prevent homelessness and address the core issues behind it.
County Board member John Collins, Home of the Sparrow Grants Manager Kristin Miller, County Board Chairman Mike Buehler, Home of the Sparrow Vice President of Program Services Elizabeth Heneks, Home of the Sparrow Executive Director Matthew Kostecki, County Board member Pam Althoff, Home of the Sparrow Director of Program Services Lindsay Kellner, County Board member Carolyn Campbell, and board Vice Chairman Joe Gottemoller.
“Home of the Sparrow is a driving force that takes a head-on approach to addressing McHenry County’s housing needs and ensuring that our most vulnerable residents have housing security – and their dedication to expanding workforce housing options for low-and middle-income families makes them a partner in the truest sense of the word,” County Board Chairman Mike Buehler-R-Crystal Lake, said at the award ceremony.
The Community Development Department bestows the award upon agencies that go above and beyond to assist its mission to administer US Department of Housing and Urban Development programs such as the Community Development Block Grant, the Housing Investment Partnership (HOME) Grant, and the Continuum of Care Grant, as well as other programs such as emergency assistance and lead-based paint hazard reduction.
The Landlord Engagement Program is a partnership with Home of the Sparrow and other members of the Continuum of Care, a network of agencies working together to end homelessness in McHenry County, that brings landlords on board to work with their clients.
This ensures a point of contact with Home of the Sparrow staff if any problems arise, and brings more housing units ready for immediate occupancy to people and families needing Continuum of Care services.
This program was launched in part with a $75,000 award from the McHenry County Community Foundation, and the County Board approved another $39,000 of CDBG funding.
Home of the Sparrow also received the award for opening two new workforce housing units this year through an allocation of $395,950 of HOME grant funding.
Past recipients of the award include the Senior Care Volunteer Network, Consumer Credit Counseling Services of Northern Illinois, and the McHenry County Housing Authority.
