As housing supply remains stubbornly low throughout Wichita, low-to-moderate income households remain particularly impacted. The city announced Thursday an initiative aimed at increasing affordable housing options in the city’s core, through a $5 million investment in the creation of the Affordable Housing Fund program. AHF provides an avenue for developers and contractors to buy and rehabilitate homes that can then become viable and accessible to low-to-moderate income individuals and families — either as rentals or houses available for purchase. “The program will develop safe, healthy and affordable housing options for income-qualified residents,” a news release said. In early May, the city plans to issue a Request for Proposal that will allow qualified applicants to submit offers to buy available units within the program pilot areas, propose a per-unit scope of work for needed renovations of existing affordable housing units, request up to $40,000 per housing unit for renovation or purchase, and ask for project-based voucher assistance. Sarah Gooding, city real property section manager, said during a Thursday media briefing that the pilot locations are between North 25th and 26th Streets, largely along Minnesota, Ash and Piatt; and near Meridian and Pawnee, primarily along Haskell and St. Clair.
Source: Wichita Business Journal