Affordable Housing

Myranda Agnew and Kevin Hawkins at the Community of Hope in Leavenworth

The Hidden Homeless of Rural America

By Cami Koons | October 19, 2021

Unhoused people in rural areas of Kansas and Missouri often go unseen and unhelped.

Wilson Vance grew up in an apartment at 41st and Warwick. She can't afford to rent in that part of midtown any more. Now she hopes she can stay in her new home further east.

Rent is Going Up So Fast, It’s Not Just Pricing Out Residents — It’s Hurting Kansas City

By Gina Kaufmann, KCUR 89.3 | October 17, 2021

A Midtown “townie” priced off of her bus line. A retiree on fixed income forced out of her home of 17 years. Kansas City renters are facing substantial rent hikes, with serious repercussions.

Harvey Nash speaks at a KC Tenants press conference on the group's eight demands to improve Kansas City's rental assistance program.

‘They Need to Make Changes Now’: Local Housing Advocates Demand Improvements to KC’s Rental Assistance Program

By Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3 | October 5, 2021

KC Tenants recently released eight demands to strengthen Kansas City’s Emergency Rental and Utilities Assistance Program and get money out faster to people in danger of losing their homes.

Barney Allis Plaza and its underground garage opened in 1955 and is considered in poor condition by professionals and the public alike.

Barney Allis Rebuild Would Include Affordable Housing in City Manager Plan

By Kevin Collison | September 9, 2021

Plans to revitalize the aging Barney Allis Plaza and its crumbling underground garage have taken another turn, this time due to a new proposal to add 300 units of affordable housing to the mix.

Mac Properties plans to completely renovate the US Bank building at Main Street and Armour Boulevard as part of a much larger streetcar-oriented project.

Mac Properties Proposes Multi-Tower Residential Project at Streetcar Stop

By Kevin Collison | August 26, 2021

Most of the city block southwest of Main Street and Armour Boulevard would be transformed into a major streetcar-oriented residential project that would include several eight- to 10-story apartment buildings developed by Mac Properties.

KC Tenants at Jackson County Circuit Court

Can Missouri Get Out Rental Assistance Fast Enough to Prevent Evictions?

By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent | July 7, 2021

Missouri has hundreds of millions of dollars in rental assistance available. But it’s unclear whether it can dispense those funds fast enough to help Missourians avoid evictions.

code enforcement officer DeJuan Carpenter removes screws from the piece of wood blocking entry to 2404 Monroe Ave., a vacant home in the Land Bank Program. (Cody Boston | Flatland)

Can $1 Houses Help the Unhoused in Kansas City?

By Catherine Hoffman, Vicky Diaz-Camacho, Cody Boston | July 7, 2021

The Land Bank of Kansas City is offering vacant homes for $1 to help address homelessness. It’s unclear how many groups will step up to fix the houses to be occupied.

The home on 4401 E. Ninth St. used to be on Kansas City's dangerous buildings list until the Lykins Neighborhood Association acquired the property through Missouri's Abandoned Housing Act. It's now being renovated into a livable home.

How One Kansas City Neighborhood Is Transforming Its Dangerous And Abandoned Buildings

By Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3 | June 29, 2021

In northeast Kansas City, the Lykins Neighborhood Association has used Missouri’s Abandoned Housing Act to reclaim abandoned and dilapidated homes and turn them over to rehabbers for renovation. The results have been promising.