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HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge says Kansas City is 'on the right track' to fixing housing issues

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge tells an audience at the American Jazz Museum that housing is infrastructure during her visit to Kansas City on Wednesday.
Carlos Moreno
/
KCUR 89.3
HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge during a 2021 visit to the American Jazz Museum in Kansas City.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge joined KCUR's Up To Date, along with Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, to discuss the state of affordable housing in Kansas City and nationwide.

Kansas City Council introduced a ban on source of income discrimination last month, which would prevent landlords to refuse to rent to tenants solely because they use Section 8 vouchers.

U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge said that measure is a step in the right direction towards improving the city's affordable housing stock.

Fudge joined Congressman Emmanuel Cleaver in Kansas City over the weekend to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. She said that the restrictions would be a major positive change to address income and racial discrimination, in addition to a shortage of affordable housing.

"We need every single person in every single community to be part of the solution," Fudge said. "And the only way we can do that is to make sure that we can broaden the base of people who are renting to our voucher holders."

The Kansas City Council is set to vote on its source of income discrimination ban next week.

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When I host Up To Date each morning at 9, my aim is to engage the community in conversations about the Kansas City area’s challenges, hopes and opportunities. I try to ask the questions that listeners want answered about the day’s most pressing issues and provide a place for residents to engage directly with newsmakers. Reach me at steve@kcur.org or on Twitter @stevekraske.
As Up To Date’s senior producer, I want to pique the curiosity of Kansas Citians and help them understand the world around them. Each day, I construct conversations with our city’s most innovative visionaries and creatives, while striving to hold elected officials accountable and amplifying the voices of everyday Kansas Citians. Email me at zach@kcur.org.
In an era defined by the unprecedented, one thing remains certain: Kansas Citians’ passion for their hometown. As an Up To Date producer, I construct daily conversations to keep our city connected. My work analyzes big challenges and celebrates achievements to help you see your town in a new way. Email me at hallejackson@kcur.org.
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