Winnebago County Housing Authority

Winnebago County Housing Authority, doing business as Winnebago Homes Association, is a U.S. local government housing authority headquartered in Rockford, Illinois, that operates as a recipient of federal grants from the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Public and Indian Housing Office. The Authority receives formula and project grants to fund public housing operations, capital improvements, resident workforce development, and emergency safety and security measures across its public housing portfolio.

Winnebago County Housing Authority is a municipal housing authority established under Illinois law with no federal contracting arm — all 149 recent awards in the source are grants rather than contracts. The Authority's entire federal funding stream derives from HUD's Public and Indian Housing Office, which administers formula grants for operating subsidies, capital improvements, and specialized workforce programming. The Authority operates exclusively as a prime recipient; it does not subcontract on federal awards.

The Authority's grant portfolio centers on four primary HUD programs. The Public Housing Operating Fund (CFDA 14.850) provides the largest share of annual obligated dollars — formula grants covering day-to-day operational expenses, routine and preventative maintenance, anti-crime and security activities, energy costs, resident supportive services, insurance, and debt service across the public housing inventory. Recent awards obligate $128,239 through 2032, with multiple tranches issued from 2022 through 2026. The Public Housing Capital Fund (CFDA 14.872) funds capital and management activities, including public housing modernization, development, unit acquisition, and infrastructure improvements specified in HUD-approved five-year action plans or approved for emergency work; a $698,276 award issued in April 2026 runs through March 2030. The Family Self-Sufficiency Program (CFDA 14.896) funds FSS coordinator salaries and fringe benefits supporting enrollment, individual training and services plans, and employer partnerships for public housing residents and Housing Choice Voucher households; the Authority received a $276,400 award in January 2026 covering calendar year 2026, with earlier tranches awarded in 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025. The JOBS-Plus Pilot Initiative, a specialized project grant for workforce development and economic mobility services targeting public housing residents, was awarded at $272,250 in June 2026 with performance through May 2029. The Authority also received $250,000 in emergency safety and security funding awarded via lottery under HUD's disaster set-aside in August 2026, running through August 2028.

All 149 awards obligate $27.8 million in combined dollars across the grant lifecycle, with 100% concentration in HUD's Public and Indian Housing Office. The Authority receives recurring formula grants for operating and capital funding alongside intermittent project grants for specialized programs and emergency needs. Ten awards reach ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing recompete exposure on those tranches. Activity has remained flat to modestly upward — eight awards in 2022 to eleven in 2026 — reflecting annual disbursements across overlapping formula grant cycles and periodic project grant awards.