Topeka Jump urges sustained funding for affordable housing trust fund, seeks city support for violence intervention and low-barrier shelter

Sarah Bowser, lead organizer for Topeka Jump, told the Citizens Government Review Committee the coalition’s top priority is increasing affordable housing in Topeka and pressed the committee to treat follow-through mechanisms as a standing item.

“The first priority for us is, increasing the amount of affordable housing in Topeka,” Bowser said, citing a 2020 city housing market study that identified a shortage of more than 10,000 affordable homes for low-income families.

Bowser said the city has taken recent steps to activate an Affordable Housing Trust Fund: “So far, the city has invested, $750,000 of 1 time funds, added the city manager added this activation to his strategic priorities. They revised the ordinance so that it could be activated,” she said, but she and other Jump leaders urged the committee to press for permanent, annual public funding because one-time dollars will not meet long-term need.

Melodine Byrd, co-chair of Topeka Jump, described the group’s violence-reduction work and the Community Inspired Violence Intervention Coalition (CIVIC). “This group already received $600,000 to kick start a proven balance intervention program,” Byrd said, and Jump is seeking city and county support to sustain the program beyond start-up funds.

Byrd also highlighted homelessness trends and called for a low-barrier shelter in Topeka: she told the committee the number of people experiencing homelessness has risen by more than 60% in three years and said that existing shelter programs’ requirements — ID, class participation, sobriety, leaving pets — create barriers for many people.

Bowser and Byrd raised process concerns: they said turnover among city staff and elected officials has made it harder for community groups to build lasting relationships and to see study recommendations implemented. Bowser recommended a mechanism for “follow through on steady recommendations” so that consultant studies and outside reports are tracked and revisited rather than shelved.

Committee members asked for clarification about funding sources and timelines; Bowser said the initial $750,000 was one-time city money and that Jump will continue conversations with city staff and the city manager about possible dedicated funding sources.

Topeka Jump invited committee members to the group’s upcoming Nehemiah Action event and offered to provide materials documenting its priorities and the status of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund activation.