‘The number one domestic issue’: Breaking ground in KC to chip away at affordable housing shortage
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Kansas City is short about 26,000 affordable housing units for families and individuals needing a place to live.
Local leaders are hoping to put a dent in that number over the next few years as they say, you have to start somewhere.
ReStart works to help people facing homelessness turn their situation around. They recently expanded their LLC to create upStart, a branch to help develop this housing. Now, it is a reality.
The groups broke ground on five units that will be coming to the Indian Mound Neighborhood in KCMO on Thursday. Located near Drury and Smart Ave, reStart Ceo Stephanie Boyer says this spot has turned a dream into a reality.
“Today driving here I was like is this really happening and it’s so exciting,” she said.
Jimmy Fitzner with the Indian Mount Neighborhood Association was on site for the groundbreaking. He says the community is excited about the additions, highlighting that at one point the plots being used had homes already on them.
“We can say no to stuff, we do say no to stuff sometimes. We have to look out for the best interest of the residents here but when Stephanie and upStart and reStart came to us with this plan we knew this would serve our community,” he said.
This is a chance to help those struggling to afford housing find it easier and the groups had some help. In the form of $750,000, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver II was at the groundbreaking event to present the federal funds he secured.
“It’s an opportunity for us to address what I consider to be the number one domestic issue and that is the lack of adequate housing,” he said. “It’s worth it, it’s worth whatever you have to go through to make sure that somebody and hopefully somebodies will benefit from the work that we’re doing and it also encourages you to do something more.”
Boyer says over the next 10 years they hope to make 100 units available through a combination of newly built homes and rehabilitated ones.
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