Analysis

The City of Kansas City’s housing and community development program has been in a state of disrepair.  The past City Auditor, along with the federal government’s Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department, released an audit concluding that the city had no housing strategy.  The City was condemned for failure to implement a comprehensive system to address housing needs.   

The deficiencies in the City’s housing policy have significant impact.  CCO’s leaders  surfaced serious problems related to home repair and affordable housing.  Their findings are reinforced by US census data.  According to the census, the number of homeowners in Kansas City has remained stagnant, increasing less than 1% from 56.9% in 1990 to 57.7% in 2000.   Today it hovers around the same number, 10% lower then the national average.  

The need is greater in  CCO’s target  areas, only 42% of the housing units are occupied, of which 25% are owner-occupied.  The low level of occupancy added with the minimal presence of owner occupants suggests these neighborhoods are struggling.  In fact, these neighborhoods report home values that fall $35,000 under metropolitan values.  Much of the challenge is the $2 billion estimated need in the Kansas City region for home repair and the lack of public investment into home repair programs.  Many seniors who have for 30+ years stabilized their neighborhood are now being forced to relocate because they cannot afford a new roof on a limited income.  

In the absence of an effective policy, bricks and mortar development and housing program operations are ineffective in meeting neighborhood needs.  Blighted neighborhoods, racial redlining, high crime rate, senior citizens displaced from lifetime homes are all direct evidence of the lack of City policy or infrastructure to adequately meet neighborhood need.  Lack of resources to build strong community networks, citizen’s advocacy, and public policy change compound a complicated housing issue.   
 
 

CCO’s Response

CCO is helping secure basic city services, infrastructure, and housing that preserves low-income families and seniors in their homes and invests in the revitalization of low and moderate-income neighborhoods, attracting families to stay in and return to communities. 

CCO helped to uncover examples of ineffective and even misappropriated housing investment.  For example, in 2005, it was discovered that a housing redevelopment program, the main conduit for federal money for low-income housing, spent over $1.1 million to rehabilitate two houses in Kansas City’s Beacon Hill neighborhood.  Each house is currently valued at $100,000 and they both are still on the market.  After listening to 450 stories like this in Kansas City’s urban core in years prior, CCO was spurred to organize for systematic housing change within city government over the last four years.  CCO held three pinnacle events with 1,800 people attending collectively that influenced reform in the way Kansas City does housing.  
 

CCO’s Accomplishments

• Partnered with private developers to build 187 new homes in key areas of Kansas City with no public dollars or tax abatement. (2003-2007)
• Developed and proposed a housing program and policy based on grassroots community interests. Mobilized 1,800 community residents to spur the complete restructuring of the City of Kansas City’s Housing and Community Development Department.  (2004-2007)
• Leveraged $2.5 million in public and private funding, to date, for a comprehensive home repair initiative in the Washington Wheatley, Blue Hills, Ruskin Heights and 49/63 neighborhoods.  (2006-2007)
• Supported the development of a city revolving fund for the Ruskin Neighborhood to purchase and rehab homes and sell them to families, beginning with six homes to date.  (ongoing)
• Prompted an overhaul of City housing budget projections to prioritize housing dollars to home repair and rehabilitation, allocated city-wide. (2006).
• Established a home repair initiative which included collaborating with partner non-profit agencies to secure funding for CCO target neighborhoods.  For example, lobbied the City Council for $250,000 to initiate Blue Hills Community Services’ On the House Program, a program based upon CCO’s home repair initiative.  (2005-ongoing)
• Played a principal role in negotiating and securing a $3.3 million investment from private investors to build 24 three-bedroom houses in the one of the poorest neighborhoods in Kansas City (between 27th Street and I-70, Spruce to Jackson).  (2001-2003)
• Collaborated with Kansas City Council Members to invest $15 million in street lights, sidewalks, storm sewers, water mains and parks improvements throughout Kansas City neighborhoods, especially in the Northeast where the effort was launched.  (1996-1998) 
• Successfully lobbied to strengthen city codes to: expedite dangerous building demolition; keep sexually-oriented businesses out of neighborhoods; double penalties for code violations, and prevent liquor stores from locating close to schools or congregations.
• Supported an initiative of local residents to secure community oriented zoning restrictions to prevent overdevelopment of their local shopping districts.

Additional Resources

To learn more about CCO’s current work for housing and community development review the Build Communities, Not Just Houses under CCO’s Current Initiatives (HYPERLINK) or reference these related links:

• CCO’s Housing Policy Platform
• CCO’s Housing Strategic Plan
• KC HARP (Kansas City Home Asset Recovery Project)
• TIF Community Benefits for Home Repair (Blue Hills, Ivanhoe and East Meyers)
• PICO National Network’s website for Affordable Housing http://piconetwork.org/affordablehousing.html
• Press Coverage Related to CCO’s Build Communities, Not Just Houses