affordable housing

A KCATA committee has approved a new transit-oriented apartment community in Kansas City, Kansas, at the intersection of State Avenue and Turner Diagonal Freeway. The authority's Board of Commissioners will review the project later this summer.

The 22-acre development along Independence and Hardesty avenues will include an apartment building, a public market, coworking and community gathering spaces. The developer hopes it can become a “third space” for residents of the Historic Northeast.

The Republican bill was prompted by legislation in Kansas City and other communities that banned landlords from denying leases to renters on the grounds that they receive housing assistance, such as Section 8 vouchers.

Advocates for people who are homeless say eliminating the credit will mean it's harder to find affordable places to live. Lawmakers say when they passed the tax credits in 2022, they didn’t realize how much they would cost.

Since 2012, homelessness in Houston has decreased more than 60%. As Kansas City continues its own efforts, the woman who developed Houston's strategy will speak at the Kansas City Public Library next week.

The Kansas City Council passed a $2.5 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year, its largest ever. The police department will get even more money than before, while council members will discuss a proposal next week to fully fund the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority in the short term.

Critics of the affordable housing tax credit argue it is costing Kansas too much money. But supporters say it's helping construct new homes amid a housing shortage that’s driving up the costs of homes and contributing to homelessness.

Kansas has a lack of housing in both rural and urban areas. The bill would focus on areas with “minimal building activity.”

Kansas City officials unveiled a $2.5 billion budget for the 2025-2026 fiscal year that reveals its spending priorities. Under the new system, the city will evaluate each program based on its importance to the community, not just carry it over from the previous budget.

Kansas City prohibió a los propietarios de vivienda rechazar inquilinos basándose únicamente en la forma en que pagan el alquiler, su puntuación crediticia o desalojos anteriores. Un representante republicano de Missouri, que también es propietario de una vivienda, quiere anular la prohibición.

Kansas City banned landlords from rejecting tenants based solely on how they pay their rent, their credit score or previous evictions. A Missouri Republican representative, who's a landlord himself, wants to override the ban.

Kansas law prohibits landlords from retaliating against tenants for reporting poor living conditions. But it lacks enforcement and leaves tenants compromising their health and safety to avoid eviction, a new survey shows.