Gibson City Council passed a resolution Monday to spend emergency funds on a $ 250,000 contract for the Gibson Area House Rehab Foundation.

Lantz, who is a member of the GAHRF board of directors, said the nonprofit was helping people who could not pay for repairs with the help of their insurance, from a loan to the administration of small business or private loans.

Lantz said they are still working on “essential projects” in Phase 1, which includes replacing water heaters, boilers and forced-air ovens. The city’s contract funds in Phase 2 “rehabilitation projects” will provide repair work on building foundations, drywall and flooring, and mold removal, according to Lantz.

In an interview with the Pantagraph on Thursday, Mayor Dan Dickey said he consulted with mayors of other towns that had suffered from flooding, including Watseka and Roanoke. He said they told him they ended up doing a lot of demolitions.

“I’d rather spend that money on people to stay and not let them go,” Dickey said. “In Gibson City we are all family. We may not have the same last names, but we are all family.”

The mayor added that emergency funds have been around for decades and “it was an emergency”.

“They’re our neighbors, they’re our family, they’re our friends, and we just want to help people,” Dickey continued.

“It’s an investment in our future,” Dickey said.

Lantz said the second phase of the project could take up to two years. He added that they had received 80 requests for help, out of 800 damaged homes in Gibson City and the village of Elliot.

Dickey said the funds contracted would only go for homes within Gibson City limits.

Lantz said contractors are extremely busy at the moment and may need to provide assistance from outside Gibson City.

He also said that as of October 22, the foundation had received $ 275,000 in non-government donations, of which $ 180,000 was allocated to Phase 1 projects.

Lantz also paid tribute to Gibson City Rotary, which he said provided $ 25,000 to replace a number of washing and drying machines.

“We have the money to heal a lot of people,” Lantz said.