Champaign, Ill., Sept. 23, 2025 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development (RD) Illinois State Director Jesus Ortega announced today that Rural Development is providing a $1 million loan to the Wabash Telephone Cooperative to pass through to the Effingham County Opportunity Foundation (ECOF) to expand services for people in rural Illinois with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The funding will help cover costs to expand and renovate the ECOF’s existing facility in Teutopolis.
“When we invest in disability services in rural Illinois, we’re investing in the people and communities of rural Illinois to strive and prosper,” said Illinois RD State Director Ortega. “The funding that is announced today is another example of how the Trump administration is committed to supporting reliable and sustainable service availability for rural America.”
ECOF provides vocational, residential, early intervention and prevention, family support, and advocacy services. ECOF also provides grants to individuals with developmental disabilities.
The loan will be used to help cover costs of building a 14,700-square-foot addition to their facility and for the renovation of a 15,600-square-foot building located at 223 N. Harvester St. in Teutopolis.
“The benefits of this project will stretch broadly by creating 12 new jobs, helping to improve the lives of people in rural Illinois who need ECOF disability services, creating a specialized space for workforce development, and much more,” Director Ortega said.
The larger and remodeled facility will better support skills development like job training, community integration training, independent living skill training, and more. Residents will receive on-site daily educational instruction and real-world community experiences in hopes of supporting disabled individuals to reach independent living and community integration. Additionally, residents will have access to, and be monitored by, a team of licensed registered nurses who will oversee the health and wellness of participating community members. Classrooms and training labs will be equipped with interactive screens to enhance educational opportunities for participants and expand access to job training platforms, telemedicine appointments, and learning modules.
This investment is through the USDA RD Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant (REDLG) program. The REDLG program provides funding for rural projects through local utility organizations. USDA RD provides zero-interest loans to local utilities which they, in turn, pass through to local businesses for projects that will create and retain employment in rural areas.
More information about the REDLG program is available online, here: https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/business-programs/rural-economic-development-loan-grant-programs.