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Kansas City rents are rising — and fast

You're not crazy: Rents have increased astonishingly fast in Kansas City. But some neighborhoods are feeling the pain more than others, and that has major consequences for both renters and the city as a whole.

Rents in Kansas City went up 6% overall in the last year, but over the same time period, rent increased by 13.1% in eastern Kansas City. What's not clear is how the average renter can make up the difference — and how life in Kansas City changes if they can’t.

This week, we're kicking off a series of stories on housing in Kansas City. We speak to KCUR news director Lisa Rodriguez about what to expect from this collaboration with the KC Media Collective. And Gina Kaufmann, host of the KCUR podcast Real Humans, brings us the story of how rising apartment costs have serious consequences for renters and the city as a whole.

Contact the show at news@kcur.org. Follow KCUR onTwitter andFacebook for the latest news.

Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Byron Love, with special production this episode from Mackenzie Martin, and edited by Gabe Rosenberg and Lisa Rodriguez.

Subscribe to Real Humans By Gina Kaufmann on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

You can support both Kansas City Today and Real Humans By Gina Kaufmann by becoming a KCUR member: kcur.org/donate

As a newscaster and a host of a daily news podcast, I want to deliver the most important and interesting news of the day in an engaging and easily understandable way. No matter where you live in the metro or what you’re interested in, I want you to learn something from each newscast or podcast – and maybe even give you something to talk about at the dinner table.
As an on-demand producer, I am focused on using my skills and experiences across multiple digital applications, platforms and media fields to create community focused audio, video and on-demand products for KCUR Studios. The media that I produce aims to inform, entertain and connect with the Kansas City metro area as we continue to learn from each other. Email me at byronlove@kcur.org.
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