Celisa Calacal | The Beacon

Celisa Calacal covers economics and civic engagement issues for The Beacon. Follow her on Twitter @celisa_mia or email her at celisa@thebeacon.media.

Housing & Development

‘I’m Gonna Lose It All’: Tenants Left In The Dark As Kansas City Halts Rental Assistance Program

Celisa Calacal | The Beacon
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Tenants who already applied for Kansas City's Emergency Rental Assistance Program are still waiting for help, while local nonprofits face challenges in processing applications quickly.
Housing & Development

As More Kansas Citians Lose Housing, People Struggle To Stay Healthy Without Safe Shelter

Celisa Calacal | The Beacon
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Nonprofits help with mobile clinics and outdoor wash stations, but many people without homes in Kansas City go without checkups, medicines and even bandages. The pandemic made things worse.
Housing & Development

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

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

Kansas City’s Housing Market Is Already Pricing Out Millennials: 'We Didn’t Really Stand A Chance'

Celisa Calacal | The Beacon
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Kansas City, Missouri, is in the top five housing markets with the greatest year-over-year decline in affordability: The median price of a Jackson County home has gone up to $240,000 as of May 2021.
Housing & Development

Dangerous And Disinvested: Kansas City's Struggle To Fix Hundreds Of Blighted Buildings

Celisa Calacal | The Beacon
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A Beacon investigation into Kansas City's 363 listed dangerous buildings reveals a convoluted and confounding system missing one thing: accountability.