Some of the federal stimulus funds have yet to reach Chicago, but non-profits are trying to prepare contractors for the new work. Robert Wharton heads The Community and Economic Development Association of Cook County.

He says his group deals with housing contractors who weatherize homes, and many of them have been frustrated by a lack of work.

WHARTON: There are feelings of mistrust and I just want to point that out because many of the people that have contacted us really have been out there struggling for a while.

Wharton says he still doesn’t know when federal aid will make its way to Cook County. He says he’s not advising contractors to sit tight until that money arrives, but to get involved in groups that can help them find work.