FEATURED STORY
As Wyandotte County winter shelters gear up, homeless people want a permanent fix
Starting in late December, people with no place to escape the cold can expect blankets, a hot meal, sleeping mats and a little privacy in tents pitched indoors near Sixth Street and State Avenue in Kansas City, Kansas. This emergency cold-weather shelter — a project led by Cross-Lines Community Outreach for those nights when the…
Afghan refugees still adjusting to life in Kansas City — and wondering if they can stay
When the Taliban overtook Kabul in 2021, Qasim Rahimi went into hiding at a neighbor’s house. Meanwhile, U.S. troops withdrew and took nearly 90,000 Afghan evacuees who were in danger of persecution. Rahimi knew he had to leave, too. “I was a journalist and a director in (the) Afghanistan government when the government fell, so…
Rising rents leave more Kansas City tenants facing eviction
Correction: This story originally misstated the Kansas City area’s ranking in a Rent.com study on rising rental rates. The Kansas City area ranks second. Jared Johnson hasn’t paid rent in four months. The trouble started when his car got towed. That cost him his job delivering groceries for Instacart. He’s been able to hold off an eviction…
The zoning dispute that has Prairie Village warring with itself over housing
The tension runs high at Prairie Village City Hall these days.
Earlier this month, amid high-stakes debates over whether to squeeze more housing into the leafy Johnson County suburb, a group fighting against possible zoning changes took particular offense to cutting off public comment.
A low-barrier shelter may be in the works for Kansas City
Three years ago, Brian Haimowitz slept behind buildings and under bridges because he couldn’t afford a place to stay with the money from his job as a cashier at a local Wendy’s. He said he tried to get help through Kansas City’s shelter system, but he was quickly turned off by roadblocks he encountered. One…
Waldo and Plaza-area projects push for Port KC tax breaks
A last-minute notice that the Port Authority of Kansas City would be considering tax incentives for a set of controversial housing developments at its July 17 board meeting drew a crowd of irate school leaders, neighborhood residents and business owners.
When corporations buy KC homes, we all pay
Gail McCann Beatty, Jackson County’s director of assessment, told The Beacon in April that much of this year’s 30% increase can be explained by a general increase in market value.
Her insights, along with interviews with other people familiar with housing trends in Jackson County, present a complex set of factors that are making it…
RideKC’s development arm is dissolving, but transit-oriented development is here to stay
The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority voted unanimously on Wednesday afternoon to dissolve the RideKC Development Corp. But the move does not mean that the agency is ending its foray into transit-oriented, tax-subsidized development.
Young and unhoused LGBTQ+ people face barriers in faith-based shelters
Twelve years ago, Scout DeSimio was living out of her car. For 10 months, she would nap during the day while parked at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. At night, she drove around for hours with nowhere to go. DeSimio had recently graduated from college and left El Dorado Springs, Missouri, her hometown, to seek…
Resource List: Affordable housing for Kansas Citians with disabilities
Kansas City lacks affordable housing options for its residents, and the problem is even worse for people with disabilities. As part of its Zero KC plan to end houselessness in five years, the city needs 17,303 extremely affordable units to accommodate low-income renters. The need for affordable accessible housing for people with disabilities exists despite…
A new solution will address Kansas City’s lack of disability-accessible housing
The Center for Developmentally Disabled is building four-bedroom family houses across Kansas City that are designed to help people with disabilities live with greater independence. The new homes will include automatic doors. The ceilings will be outfitted with lift and track systems to make it easier for a caretaker to get someone with limited mobility…
When pet owners have to choose between their dog and their home
Staff and volunteers at KC Pet Project understand that every day can bring in new business. On Monday, it was a litter of eight puppies, brought to the shelter by deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department after their owner was evicted from an apartment.
Staffers at the nonprofit, which contracts with the Kansas City…
Jackson County anticipates a 30% increase in property values this year
For three weeks, staffers in the Jackson County assessment department have been on a tour. Their venues: packed rooms in public libraries and community centers. Their audience: homeowners with lots of questions about their property taxes.
With notices of property value assessments expected any time, anxiety among residential property owners is rising. For at least…
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…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.