Housing

Tens of thousands of Kansas City residents are faced with the consequences of the longest government shutdown in American history. People who rely on food benefits remain without the funding that helps put food on the table, while the area’s many federal workers are furloughed or continue to work without pay.

All six candidates who supported moving forward with the $30M municipal complex project were leading big on Election Night. A proposal to abandon the current mayor-city council form of government failed.

The vote comes after years of tax increases have incensed Jackson County residents. It was the only charter county in Missouri to appoint, rather than elect, its assessor.

In a hearing on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston said the layoffs have brought a human cost that cannot be tolerated.

The $4 billion Panasonic plant opened this summer in the Kansas town, but has delayed its goals for full production. But its impact can already be felt in new housing projects and an incoming data center.

After the shooting death of Stephens College student Aiyanna Williams in downtown Columbia, University of Missouri System president Mun Choi demanded the "cleanup of homeless encampments." However, the suspect has no connection to the unhoused community.

The Bowen Tower Tenant Union began withholding rent at the beginning of October in response to repeated flooding, pest infestations and plumbing issues that tenants say go ignored by management.

The Unified Government could vote this week on an ordinance that would make it illegal for people to sleep outside on public and private property. But without a single overnight shelter in Wyandotte County, community groups say the crackdown will only worsen conditions for unhoused residents.

Latinos are expected to be 70% of net new homeowners in the U.S. by 2040. Several local programs — mostly in Spanish, but some in English — are designed to help Latinos jump the hurdles that can stand between them and homeownership.

When the Trump administration revoked $2.3 million from a Kansas state agency, it hit rural communities hard. Housing providers already stretched thin closed their doors while others found temporary life rafts, bracing for what's next.

Kansas City’s Transition Center has trained experts in conflict resolution, job training and wellness. Classes are giving hope to an increasing number of repeat offenders that they can make long-term changes and stay out of prison.

The city won’t work with CJR Construction Group for two years, after the company repeatedly violated its prevailing wage rules. This is the first time Kansas City has debarred a contractor in years.