The Beacon

This home on 3329 Spruce Ave. has been on Kansas City's dangerous buildings list since February 2021. The owner of the property is located in Kansas.

‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’: Absentee Owners Allow Properties to Become Dangerous Buildings in Kansas City

By Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3, Emily Wolf, The Beacon | August 31, 2021

About 21% of dangerous buildings in Kansas City have owners who live outside of Missouri.

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Nika Cotton makes a drink at Soulcentricitea, which she opened on Troost Ave. last July. Cotton applied for a grant from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, but did not receive any money.

In Kansas City, Restaurant Revitalization Funds Flowed to Whiter, More Affluent Areas

By Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3 | August 18, 2021

Local businesses received a total of $53 million from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. But few of those dollars flowed east of Troost.

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Rubby Herrera lives in midtown Kansas City, and first applied for rental assistance through the city's program in April. She still hasn't received any assistance, and is now at risk of being evicted next month.

‘I’m Gonna Lose it All’: Tenants Left in the Dark as KC’s Rental Assistance Program Closes to New Applicants

By Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3 | July 20, 2021

Tenants who already applied for assistance are still waiting for help, and local nonprofits face challenges in processing applications quickly.

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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.

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Travis Stull in front of his home in the Strawberry Hill neighborhood of Kansas City, Kansas. Stull bought his home in April.

Kansas City’s Pandemic Housing Market is Increasingly Pricing Out Millennials

By Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3 | June 16, 2021

A new study found Kansas City is one of the housing markets where affordability has declined the most

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A hand drawn sign appears on a tarp covering tents at the Kansas City Homeless Union’s City Hall occupation on April 7.

The KC Homeless Union met with Mayor Q for Four Days Straight. Here’s What They Agreed on.

By Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3 | April 14, 2021

In Kansas City, unhoused people are temporarily moving into hotels. Will the city commit to longer-term solutions?

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Photo illustration of Kansas Citians reflecting on the past year of life during a pandemic.

Our Pandemic Year: Kansas City Reflects on COVID-19

By Brittany Callan, The Beacon, Celisa Calacal, KCUR 89.3 | March 17, 2021

As we reach the one-year milestone of living in the pandemic, Kansas Citians reflect on how their lives have changed.

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