Summer 2024| Breaking Ground:

On the Homefront with Kansas Housing

I’ve always admired the famed cellist Yo-Yo Ma, not only for how he makes his instrument sing but his decency, humanity, and kindness. In a recent interview, Ma described his parents: his father was a gifted music professor and his mother “loved to be moved by music”. Early on, Ma learned both the head and heart of music. These complementary aspects can be seen through his life, whether performing for President Kennedy at age 7, commemorating 9/11 at Ground Zero, or playing Ukraine’s national anthem on a sidewalk outside the Russian Embassy. Ma reminds us that it takes head and heart to be successful in all that we do.

In our daily work at Kansas Housing, using our heads and hearts is no less important. We use our heads to maneuver policy and economic complexities, working through barriers and challenges – an étude to our state’s ultimate housing success. But our hearts break to see increasing homelessness in our own community, rejoice each time we weatherize a senior’s home, and celebrate the 3,200+ homes funded through our Housing Development programs last year alone.

Head and heart – it takes both to make a cello sing. It takes both to Unlock Home for those we serve.

- Ryan Vincent, Executive Director

Breaking Ground is a quarterly newsletter from Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC), the state's housing finance agency. We hope you'll follow along to keep up on the latest Kansas housing news! Update your subscription preferences anytime.

The 19th annual Kansas Housing Conference will bring together housing professionals from across the state and region to network, learn, and explore the latest trends and innovations in affordable housing.

Join us August 20-22, 2024 at the Overland Park Convention Center!

Learn more

Building Momentum: A State Housing Update from KHRC

Last month, hundreds of community members and stakeholders logged on to learn about our progress awarding new housing resources to communities across the state.

Missed the presentation? Check out our recording to catch up on the highlights.

Watch now.

Housing Development

Kansas Housing awards $3.7 million in KHITCs for rural housing development

Builders and developers in six Kansas communities will receive a combined total of $3,794,000 in Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credits (KHITCs) to develop affordable housing for moderate-income families in rural areas of the state. The awards, made possible through the state’s Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit Program provides resources to develop housing in rural communities.

Combined with leveraged resources to support the proposed initiatives, the awards represent a total investment of $22,930,091 and a net gain of 124 affordable, quality housing units.

Kansas Housing awards seven 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit proposals in Round 1

In February, Kansas Housing received 19 applications for the 4% Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), equating to more than $370 million in Private Activity Bonds (PABs) for the first of two application rounds. Of the seven applications awarded, the approved LIHTCs and PABs will build 361 new units and rehabilitate 703 existing affordable units.

With the resources of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, The Kansas Affordable Housing Tax Credit Act and Private Activity Bonds, Kansas Housing will build or preserve 1,064 affordable housing units.

$4.9 million KHITCs awarded for rural housing development

Builders and developers in thirteen Kansas communities will receive a combined total of $4,984,000 in Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credits (KHITCs) to develop affordable housing for moderate-income families in rural areas of the state. The awards, made possible through the state’s Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit Program, provide resources to develop housing in rural communities.

Combined with leveraged resources to support the proposed initiatives, the awards represent a total investment of $50,001,329 and a net gain of 151 affordable, quality housing units.

First Time Homebuyer Program

Kansas Housing partners with Habitat for Humanity of the Northern Flint Hills to expand affordable housing

This partnership opens the door for a broader spectrum of families to access homeownership across the Northern Flint Hills region. Before working with Habitat for Humanity, KHRC only financed existing home sales; however, through Habitat, they can finance speculative new construction, growing their impact in the community.

First Time Homebuyer Testimonial

Flourishing Into Homeownership

“I always wanted a bit of earth, like the little girl asks for in The Secret Garden...But every time I tried to get my own bit of earth, something in life happened, and it just went poof! Now that I have my bit of earth, I take a sigh of relief.” -Sarah Flores