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Council hears city's affordable-housing strategy: $50M fund, LIHTC wins and KCDC tools
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Summary
City housing staff described how the Affordable Housing Fund, KCDC's voucher programs, THDA bond/LIHTC awards and project-based vouchers have produced thousands of subsidized units and leveraged large outside funding packages, while challenges remain from construction costs and interest rates.
City staff told the council how local investments and federal and state programs are being combined to expand subsidized and attainable housing.
Kevin DeBose, head of Housing and Neighborhood Development, framed the problem: a period of underbuilding following 2008 plus rapid population growth contributed to a constrained housing market with rising rents and broad cost burden. DeBose explained HUD's Area Median Income (AMI) definitions and said the city's affordable-housing ordinance centers eligibility and incentives around a 60% AMI threshold.
DeBose described the city's Affordable Housing Fund as a 10-year commitment of $5 million per year (a $50 million program) and reported that the city has committed or invested about $46 million so far to gap financing, permanent supportive housing developments and homeownership initiatives. "For every dollar that we invest of local money, we're attracting $15 of other resources," DeBose said, summarizing the leverage effect of combining local money with THDA bond allocations, LIHTC equity and federal programs.
Ben Bentley, speaking for KCDC, outlined the housing authority's portfolio and programs: roughly 4,300 KCDC-owned apartments and a housing choice voucher program together represent about 8,000 subsidized units in the market; KCDC also deploys project-based vouchers and special-purpose vouchers (VASH for veterans, family unification for youth aging out of foster care). Bentley said KCDC and partners secured a substantial portion of statewide THDA bond funding and expects 1,277 new affordable homes to arrive in the next two years through that and related programs.
On demand and availability, Bentley said KCDC sees about 5,000 unique applicants across vouchers and KCDC-owned waiting lists at a given time; new applicants without program preferences can wait about a year before their application gets to the top of the voucher list. Bentley also described the Section 8 homeownership program that has helped roughly 200 families convert vouchers to homeownership.
Council members asked about financing constraints and the role of smaller unit types. Bentley and DeBose said construction prices and elevated interest rates are headwinds for new deals, while targeted uses of soft local financing, project-based vouchers and tax-credit packages keep many projects feasible. The officials said micro-unit and tiny-home projects (Heroes Hill and similar) are possible and that KCDC has applied vouchers to micro-units at developments such as Liberty Place and Lumen Flats, but units must meet housing-quality and voucher-acceptance requirements.
DeBose said the city will bring more homeownership projects forward, including a proposed 22-unit homeownership development; staff also highlighted continuing work to reduce displacement and to produce both affordable and attainable housing at scale.
Council members thanked the presenters; several asked for follow-up and staff noted more detailed agenda items and potential council actions will be scheduled in coming meetings.
