Housing

People seeking refuge from the biting cold can find it at more than a dozen shelters and warming centers around the metro. Some open only when the temperature drops below a certain threshold, while others have daily availability.

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, passed a revised version of its public camping ban — which includes lesser penalties for first time offenses than the initial proposal. Kansas City, Kansas Police called the measure “dignified,” but opponents worry it will criminalize homelessness.

Efforts in Barton County may offer a blueprint for solving a housing shortage across Kansas. The county commission has tapped economic development funds and other resources to help housing developments in three communities.

Some of the country's highest home insurance prices are in the central U.S., a region generally considered to be protected from climate-driven disasters such as wildfires and hurricanes.

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.