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Shelter resources are limited for unhoused who work nights
If you see a homeless person sleeping in public during the day, assume nothing. Though Kansas City doesn’t keep an exact count, nationally nearly 40% of unhoused individuals living on the street work full- or part-time jobs, and a significant number of those choose to work night jobs. There are many reasons why the unhoused…
Decoding the language of Kansas City’s tax incentives: Key terms to know
Kansas City is known far and wide for its use of tax incentives. Researchers have studied the use of incentives to move development projects back and forth across the state line as part of the “border war” between Kansas and Missouri. Many local landmarks, including the Power and Light District, Hotel Phillips and the midtown…
Landlord ignoring your complaint? Here’s how to get your apartment fixed.
As temperatures dip in the winter months, safe homes become all the more critical. Broken furnaces, moldy ceilings and crossed wires all endanger residents who are spending more time indoors. For tenants, problems in their units can be a source of anxiety, especially if their landlord is reluctant to fix them. To protect tenants, Kansas…
Behind the tax incentives ordinance stuck in Kansas City Council limbo
Backers of Ordinance 220701 say it will bring consistency to the way Kansas City government and affiliated agencies can grant a tax break to developers. But it has been on a rocky road. In the four months since the proposed legislation was filed in Kansas City Council’s Neighborhood Planning and Development Committee, it has been…
Resources for people who need shelter in Kansas City
Last winter, social service workers identified at least 711 people in Kansas City staying in shelters or without a means of shelter on a single day. That number is known as the point-in-time count, but the actual number of people who are unhoused is thought to be much higher, with individuals and families transitioning in…
This ballot question would fund ‘deeply affordable housing’ in KC
Housing activists like Maya Neal have had their differences with city hall. But an afternoon in late October found Neal knocking on doors in south Kansas City in support of a ballot question sponsored by Mayor Quinton Lucas and the City Council. “I’m going around talking to neighbors about Question 2 on November’s ballot. It’s…
KC Tenants announces sister organization focused on building political power
Since its creation in 2019, KC Tenants has drafted a Tenants Bill of Rights and secured its passage through the City Council. The group has successfully lobbied for the right of people faced with eviction to be represented by a lawyer. Its members fought against evictions in the pandemic and opposed development deals that give…
Zero KC wants to end houselessness in five years but will require more commitment from leaders
In her five years of helping people who struggle in Kansas City, Alina Heart has come to understand many of the factors contributing to a sharp rise in houselessness. The end of COVID-19 relief funds and eviction moratoriums, in combination with rising inflation, has sent many people over the threshold, said Heart, who volunteers with…
Subsidized development in Waldo has 296 new apartments but no affordable housing
Residents of Kansas City’s Waldo neighborhood may soon see changes along a popular commercial strip, where the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s development arm has recommended the first of three approvals for tax incentives for an apartment development at 74th Street and Broadway. The six-story project, called Waldo74Broadway, is expected to contain 296 apartment units as…
To attract more developers, Kansas City changes its affordable housing ordinance — again
Just 19 months after passing a new housing ordinance aimed at requiring developers to offer “extremely affordable” housing, the Kansas City Council has decided it hasn’t worked. On Aug. 18, the council voted 9-4 to change the ordinance, with council members Heather Hall, Brandon Ellington, Eric Bunch and Andrea Bough voting no. Now there is…
Some Missourians impacted by COVID-19 can get thousands in housing assistance
If you’re a Missouri homeowner who has been financially set back due to COVID-19, you may qualify for up to $50,000 to help pay for your mortgage. And if you’re a renter who has also been impacted by the pandemic, you may qualify for thousands to offset rent and utility payments — including back payments…
How a Kansas City area community college is helping students handle the housing crisis
Shawn Derritt, Kansas City Kansas Community College’s dean of student services, said that research has found that safe housing on or close to campus improves academic outcomes for community college students.
Formerly incarcerated Missourians struggle for decades to find stable housing
After serving time in prison, Christine McDonald found herself living on the streets of Kansas City and in a pay-by-the-week motel. Robert Richardson, who also has a felony record, settled for a bug-infested apartment with an open hole in the front. They are far from alone in the struggle to find adequate, affordable housing as…
Flood over winter break drives about 150 UMKC students into new housing
Weeks after a flood in Oak Street Hall, UMKC is still waiting to learn the full extent of the damages, how much renovations will cost, what insurance will cover and how long repairs will take.
Local housing group and mayor share differing visions on a housing trust fund for Kansas City
In 2018, the Kansas City Council approved a Five-Year Housing Plan that included the creation of a $75 million housing trust fund.
‘They need to make changes now’: Local housing advocates demand improvements to KC’s rental assistance program
The demands include improving the emergency rental assistance application, preventing landlords from evicting a tenant who has applied for assistance and using rental assistance to pay off an eviction judgement.
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