TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced the kickoff of the Kansas housing needs assessment tour.
Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) and the Office of Rural Prosperity partnered to launch this assessment early this year and this tour will provide the public the opportunity to preview their region’s results. The full 2021 Kansas Statewide Housing Needs Assessment – the first comprehensive statewide housing study in nearly 30 years - will be released at the conclusion of the tour.
“Quality, affordable housing brings new families to our communities, enabling businesses to recruit and retain the workforce they need to build on their record growth,” Kelly said. “We’ve known for years that Kansas has a housing shortage – but for too long, we’ve operated without a strategic focus. Using the information from the first comprehensive housing needs assessment in nearly 30 years, we can develop a data-driven approach to expand affordable housing statewide, support our workforce, and grow our economy.”
“I encourage all Kansans to learn more about the housing study and how it will impact their communities by participating in a regional session near them,” Kelly said.
RDG Planning & Design, an Omaha-based consultancy, conducted the in-depth study over the past year to identify current housing needs and growth opportunities, including goals and strategic initiatives to guide the state’s future housing development efforts. These findings revealed several key goals to address future housing needs:
Prioritize middle income housing;
Diversify housing stock to meet local needs;
Extend housing security;
Reinvest in older housing stock, including vacant units;
Address the building trades labor shortage;
Extend existing human capital resources.
Analysis included a series of 71 virtual and in-person listening sessions with more than 425 community participants across the state, as well as meetings with housing stakeholder groups. Consultants conducted a statewide survey of more than 4,400 respondents and analyzed census data to develop a comprehensive picture of the state’s housing needs, current resources, and growth opportunities.
The full report and recommendations will be posted online following the statewide tour. Join KHRC’s mailing list and select “Housing Needs Assessment 2021” to be notified when the full report is available. Kansans are encouraged to learn more about the study’s results and how their communities can expand housing opportunities by participating in upcoming regional sessions as follows:
Monday: Northeast
5:30 p.m. - Sunflower Foundation, 5820 SW 6th Ave, Suite 400, Topeka
Tuesday: Kansas City Metro
Noon - Matt Ross Community Center, 8101 Marty, Overland Park
5:30 p.m. - Memorial Hall Ballroom, 600 N. 7th Street Trafficway, Kansas City.
Wednesday: Northeast - Atchison
5:30 p.m. - USD 409 Community Room, 626 Commercial, Atchison.
Tuesday, Dec. 7: North Central
Noon - Visit Salina Annex meeting space, 120 W. Ash Street, Salina
5:30 p.m. - BriefSpace, 219 W. 10th Street, Hays.
Wednesday, Dec. 8: Western
Noon - Safe Child Center, Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center, 212 E. Fifth Street, Scott City.
5:30 p.m. - Boot Hill Conference Center, 4100 W. Comanche Avenue, Dodge City.
Thursday, Dec. 9: South / Southeast
Noon – Derby Public Library Community Room, 1600 E Walnut Grove, Derby.
5:30 p.m. - Holiday Inn, 3401 Blue Comet Drive, Chanute
The state’s housing study was funded and administered by the ORP and KHRC, the state’s housing finance agency. KHRC and ORP selected RDG to lead the study through a competitive RFP process.
About the Office of Rural Prosperity
Governor Laura Kelly and former Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers created the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP), a nonpartisan initiative established in part to ensure that rural Kansas is heard and represented in the statehouse. The ORP aims to streamline rural policy while focusing on the issues that matter to rural Kansans. During the ORP’s 2019 and 2020 statewide listening and action tours, housing was brought up by leaders in every region of the state as a vital component of recruiting and retaining workers, families, and entrepreneurs to help rural Kansas thrive.
About the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC)
Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) is a self-supporting, nonprofit, public corporation committed to helping Kansans access the safe, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. KHRC serves as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA), administering essential housing and community programs to serve Kansans.