The neighborhoods of Oak Park are filled with the community's most valuable asset - people. Families, children, singles, partners, seniors. People who are different yet united in spirit. Who take time to shop at the Farmers' Market. Watch fireworks on the Fourth of July. Shovel each other out in a snowstorm. People who aren't afraid to get their feet wet - together - at Ridgeland Commons and Rehm Park swimming pools. Who play games in the streets and barbeque together at over 300 block parties each summer. People who, together, form the very essence of the Village. Living side by side in neighborhoods where the homes are as varied as the people living within them. Painted ladies and Prairie Style architecture next to neat stucco, frame and brick homes. Vintage apartment buildings amidst bungalows. New construction and ongoing restoration, both inside and out. Like the people who live here, these homes contribute a unique sense of character to their surroundings.
Perhaps the most telling statement about living in Oak Park is the Village's policy on maintaining diversity, first authored in 1973 by Village Trustees, then reaffirmed and broadened regularly in the years since. Whether you call it diversity or simply community, it's what Oak Park is all about.
Listed at the left and below are services and information the Village and other Oak Park governmental entities offer through the web for its residents. Please click through these categories to find the information you need. If you are unable to find what you are looking for, click here to search the site or feel free to call Village Hall at 708.383.6400.
Each year the Village of Oak Park receives an allocation of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). CDBG funds are intended to support a wide variety of community and economic development activities directed toward neighborhood revitalization, economic development and improved community facilities and services. The purpose of the federally funded, but locally administered CDBG program is to develop and provide decent housing and a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities for persons of low and moderate income. Organizations, including for-profits and state or federally certified not-for-profit agencies, are eligible to apply for CDBG grants through the Village.
ESG funding is available only for providers of services that are related to homelessness or homelessness assistance. Proposals for both CDBG and ESG grants typically are available in early May of each year for the following year's funding cycle. Eligible CDBG activities include public services, facility improvements, housing and economic and infrastructure development. Eligible ESG activities include homeless and transitional shelter operations and homeless prevention activities
