Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City has set aside $8.5 million to make it easier for people to find affordable housing. This is another big step the city is taking to make sure its residents have safe and stable homes. The Affordable Housing Trust Fund will give money to eight initiatives that will together build and keep 447 affordable apartments in the city.
Mayor Quinton Lucas stressed how important this project is, saying that the Trust Fund has already put more than $40 million into housing since it started. Lucas says that the city has helped make or keep more than 5,000 affordable homes in the past several years. This shows that the city is committed to making housing easier for families, seniors, and other vulnerable people in the long run.
The new projects that got money show a wide range of housing demands. Cardinal Ridge will get $1.2 million to preserve 160 units, 90 of which are for seniors and 70 for families. They will also expand amenities including a full-time Resident Service Coordinator. Mid-City Towers II will also utilize its $1.2 million cash award to buy and fix up 72 senior apartments that are only available to people who make less than 60% of the Area Median Income.
Loma Vista Apartments is going to install 45 new senior apartments for $1.35 million. These units will have modern facilities and be mixed-income housing. The Sanford B. Ladd School Redevelopment Project is another big project that will turn an old school into something new and build four more buildings. This project will build 82 homes and community service spaces with the help of $1.5 million.
The 9th & Central Lofts project in downtown will get the most money, $2.8 million, to turn three historic buildings into 192 apartments. Forty percent of the units will be set aside for families making between 30% and 80% of the Area Median Income. This will make sure that the city center has a range of prices.
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Smaller-scale initiatives focus on meeting the needs of individual communities. Life Unlimited, an organization that helps people with disabilities, will get $20,346 to fix up four homes. Pawsperity, which offers training programs in pet grooming, will spend its $100,000 prize to fix up six completely furnished family rooms for people doing its seven-month course. The Historic Northeast Land Trust, on the other hand, got $360,000 to build eight new homes on empty sites. This will help more people become homeowners through a community land trust model.
City leaders say these initiatives are a balanced way to deal with Kansas City’s housing problem since they include preservation, redevelopment, and new building. The investment also shows how much the city cares about including everyone, since the initiatives are aimed at seniors, families, low-income households, and people with special needs.
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Kansas City is moving faster toward adding more affordable housing, improving communities, and protecting historic places with this round of funds. The outcome is more than just new buildings for the residents. It means stability, opportunity, and a deeper feeling of community.
Here is the list of all projects and more details about each of them.
