The Wichita City Council voted Tuesday to award $1.3 million in COVID recovery funds to nonprofit and for-profit housing developers to buy and renovate 33 single-family public housing units. Wichita Habitat for Humanity, a local nonprofit, received $640,000 for the rehabilitation and sale of 16 houses on North Piatt. Large Enterprise, a California-based business, received $440,000 for the renovation and rental of 11 properties in northeast and southwest Wichita. Residential Housing Solutions, a local business, received $240,000 for the renovation and sale of six houses on North Minnesota. The homes the developers will buy are public housing units the city is in the midst of selling. Wichita has 352 in total, many of which have already been sold to homeowners or investors without restrictions on future sale price or rent. The city reports that many of the houses require “much needed rehabilitation.” But Wichita set aside roughly 60 homes that it hopes to keep affordable long-term. In May, the city opened a call for proposals from developers to buy, renovate and then sell or rent the properties. Using its COVID recovery funds, Wichita offered $40,000 per unit to help buy and rehabilitate the homes. But developers are required to keep the units affordable long-term by participating in federal rental assistance or homeownership programs, which limit the maximum income of participating tenants or homebuyers.
Source: KLC Journal
