Parade Park

The cooperative faces threats of foreclosure and the displacement of residents from the affordable housing complex.

Foreclosure has been on the table at Parade Park Homes, an aging housing cooperative in the 18th and Vine District, for months now. But due to a recent update, the possibility of foreclosure seems even more real.

Parade Park was a symbol of pride for Black families in Kansas City who finally got their chance at home ownership — but the neighborhood may not survive redevelopment. Plus, staff shortages are forcing Missouri school districts to consider four-day weeks.

As Kansas City’s first Black-owned housing co-op, Parade Park helped residents pursue the American Dream of owning a home and building a community. But after 60 years, it’s uncertain if it can survive foreclosure and redevelopment.

Kansas City's Parade Park, one of the country's oldest Black housing cooperatives, has been deteriorating for years. Now it's running out of time before it faces foreclosure. Plus: How one broker is trying to increase Black homeownership in Kansas City's urban core.

The historic but crumbling Kansas City housing cooperative, designed in the 1960s for Black families, faces a July 7 deadline to propose repairs. Without a plan, the Department of Housing and Urban Development could pull back on a $10 million loan it guaranteed.