LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
As an avid gardener, I love perusing seed catalogs in the snowy winter months with dreams of giant tomatoes and pumpkins the next season. Teddy Roosevelt’s quote reminds me to dream big, but focus on the groundwork (which, in a garden, literally means composting and prepping the soil)!
Laying a solid foundation is just as important when building a home. Even in sunny Kansas, the winds will blow, and the storms will rage; yet a solid foundation ensures a stable home.
Kansas Housing has been similarly laying the groundwork with an eye to the stars:
- It started 20 years ago when KHRC became a public corporation, administering solid programs. Kansas Housing laid the foundation.
- Through natural disasters in Greensburg and Southeast Kansas, economic headwinds of the Great Recession, and lean budget years, providing resources and building partnerships, Kansas Housing laid the foundation.
- With the pandemic’s devastating impact on Kansas’ renters, homeowners, and housing providers, through the administration of emergency housing assistance, Kansas Housing laid the foundation.
- Working closely with housing partners and community stakeholders, KHRC
facilitated and released the first statewide housing needs assessment in nearly 30 years. Kansas Housing laid the foundation. - Taking the important message to the Statehouse alongside advocates and stakeholders, culminating in a historic state investment in housing development resources, Kansas Housing laid the foundation.
The foundation is solid, but the work has only begun! Still our eyes are on the stars. In this Annual Report, you will:
- Learn about KHRC’s vital work keeping Kansans in their homes
through the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance Program and Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund. - Read about KHRC’s efforts rolling out the new state housing development
resources. - Stay engaged with ongoing traditional programs and resources.
- Hear about the lives Kansas Housing is touching in communities around Kansas.
Ryan Vincent Executive Director
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) is a self-supporting, nonprofit, public corporation committed to helping Kansans access the safe, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. KHRC serves as the state’s housing finance agency, administering essential housing and community programs to serve Kansans.
Our core values guide our work, ensuring that we’re thorough, collaborative, nimble, transparent, and compassionate in all we do.
Kansas Housing Resource Corporation (KHRC) is a subsidiary corporation of the Kansas Development Finance Authority (KDFA). Governed by a Board of Directors, KHRC does not receive operational revenue from the state of Kansas but sustains itself through fees for services and grant administration cost reimbursement. KHRC also administers the State Housing Trust Fund (SHTF), which funds the state’s Moderate Income Housing program, among other initiatives. Audited financial statements are available online.
KHRC serves:
- Homeowners
- Developers
- Emergency housing providers
- Community service organizations
- Homeless and domestic violence shelters
- Renters
- Property managers
- Housing advocacy groups
- Local communities
- You!
KHRC underwrites the annual Kansas Housing Conference, our state’s premier networking and education event for affordable housing professionals. Our 17th annual conference was held in-person in Wichita for the first time in three years, attracting more than 600 attendees and a record number of sponsors and exhibitors. Keynote speakers included Governor Laura Kelly and Sedgwick County Commissioner Lacey Cruse, who highlighted the need for more affordable housing in Kansas. HUD Regional Administrator Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn shared how he’ll work with KHRC to meet HUD’s Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) goals. Dr. Matthew Desmond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, detailed his first-hand knowledge and research findings on the effects that poverty and eviction have on families and communities.
The 2023 Kansas Housing Conference will be held Aug. 22-24 at the Overland Park Convention Center.
Dr. Matthew Desmond
Speaker at the 2022 Kansas Housing Conference
EMERGENCY RESPONSE
KANSAS EMERGENCY RENTAL ASSISTANCE
Even before the pandemic, affordable housing challenges existed in Kansas. The pandemic amplified the problem as thousands struggled to pay rent during a time when home had never been more important. Governor Kelly appointed KHRC to administer the Kansas Emergency Rental Assistance (KERA) program, a federally funded initiative that provided up to 18 months of assistance to eligible households experiencing financial hardships.
A year and a half after KERA launched, program funds have unlocked home for more 80,000 Kansans and assisted more than 10,000 landlords by providing more than $279 million in rental, utility, and internet assistance for 32,606 families.
EVICTION PREVENTION
In 2021, the Kansas Supreme Court established an Ad Hoc Committee on Best Practices for Eviction Proceedings. KHRC General Counsel serves on the committee. The committee’s charge was to examine the eviction process and develop best practices to reduce court filings, expeditiously resolve pending cases, and enhance housing stability for the benefit of landlords and tenants. Earlier this year, the committee submitted recommendations to the Kansas Supreme Court, and those approved included sharing information about KERA and other rental assistance programs, developing resources for judges on best practices in eviction proceedings, and creating videos and amending forms to explain the eviction process. Additionally, the National Center for State Courts recently awarded funds to the Office of Judicial Administration in Kansas to develop an eviction prevention program in a district court with a significant eviction caseload.
TESTIMONIALS
OPERATION ALLIES WELCOME
When refugee families from Afghanistan began arriving in Kansas in August 2021, Army veteran Aaron Estabrook of the Manhattan Housing Authority began organizing resettlement efforts. He partnered with K-State student and veteran Fatima Jaghoori to form the nonprofit Manhattan Area Resettlement Team (MART). The organization trained a diverse volunteer group to offer supportive services and rapid rehousing solutions for refugees using KERA funding.
“As refugees evacuated from Afghanistan and resettled in Kansas, we had very little stability in our lives. With the help from Manhattan Housing Authority and Kansas Housing Resources Corporation we were able to find housing stability through the KERA program. The worry of being homeless in a new land was lifted, and my children began to feel that Kansas was going to be home. My family and many others like mine have been able to learn English and gain full time employment in a short amount of time. Our pathway to self-sufficiency was accelerated because of the housing stability provided through the KERA program.” – Idrees Khalil
HUD Regional Administrator Ulysses “Deke” Clayborn receives a welcome note from the Khalil family near their home.
Visit Kansas Housing’s YouTube channel to see our commercials broadcasted on TV and streaming services in 2022.
REACHING VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES
In addition to continuous statewide broadcast, radio, print, and digital marketing, KHRC targeted KERA campaigns to the state’s most vulnerable communities. This geographic targeting was aided by the CDC social vulnerability index map, used to strategically place KERA billboards across the state.
Additional advertising targeted the densely populated, high-need areas of Johnson and Wyandotte counties. KHRC’s communications team designed bus ads placed on the interior and exterior of Ride KC buses, reaching thousands in the Kansas City area. Additional ads ran on Kansas City radio station 90.9 The Bridge and on Kansas City’s PBS station. Kansas Public Radio broadcasted ads in northeast Kansas, targeting landlords and service providers.
UTILITY ASSISTANCE
HOUSING STABILITY SERVICES
- 2,069 active evictions prevented
- More than 3,100 assists from KERA Community Partners
- 182 households served with case management, emergency shelter, and rapid rehousing resources
- 50 households referred to Kansas Legal Services
- 99 refugee applications processed
KANSAS HOMEOWNER ASSISTANCE FUND
The Kansas Homeowner Assistance Fund (KHAF) helps struggling homeowners get current on mortgages, property taxes, utilities, and homeowner association fees. The program, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), launched in April 2022. KHAF collaborates with more than 200 mortgage servicers, to which funds are paid directly.
HOUSING DEVELOPMENT
AND ADMINISTRATION
Governor Kelly capped off the 2022 legislative session by signing two major bipartisan housing bills into law, representing a significant expansion of resources to support statewide housing development. The measures represent a combined $62 million in new housing resources, as well as initiatives to incentivize housing development, including $40 million in new funding and $2 million in previous annual funding for the Moderate Income Housing (MIH) program, and a $20 million investment in a new rural housing revolving loan program.
Moderate Income Housing (MIH) Demand for the MIH program has grown steadily in recent years, reflecting the findings of the state’s 2021 comprehensive housing needs assessment. The study identified homes for moderate income Kansans as a major need, particularly in rural areas.
The MIH program received 48 applications requesting a total of $25,841,818 during the current application cycle, representing a proposed 649 new homes for moderate income Kansans. The volume represents a 74 percent increase over last year’s 28 applications and a nearly 300 percent increase over last year’s requested $8.7 million. Of the 48 MIH applications, 25 have never received MIH funding in the past. A complete list of 2022 applicants and awards is available online.
2022 HOUSING DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS:
COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS
WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
KHRC’s Weatherization Assistance Program ran a digital newspaper campaign in the spring to increase program awareness and expand application volume for summer services. Digital ads were placed in the Hays Daily News, Dodge City Globe, McPherson Sentinel, Garden City Telegram, and the Wichita Eagle.
In October, Kansas received $31,974,404 in additional Weatherization funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). These funds will be expended over a 5-year period. This is in addition to annual funding of about $9 million. We anticipate an additional 2,330 homes will receive services over the next five years with these additional funds.
EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (ESG)
2,848 KANSANS RECEIVED EMERGENCY HOUSING SERVICES
EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (ESG)
120 KANSANS PROVIDED WITH STREET OUTREACH SERVICES
COMMUNITY SERVICES BLOCK GRANT (CSBG)
14,053 KANSANS RECEIVED COMMUNITY SERVICES
TENANT BASED RENTAL ASSISTANCE (TBRA)
EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (ESG)
EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (ESG)
FIRST TIME HOMEBUYER PROGRAM (FTHB)
EMERGENCY SOLUTIONS GRANT (ESG)
MANUFACTURED HOUSING
The Manufactured Housing Act (K.S.A. 58-4216 et seq.) gave KHRC the authority to establish installation standards for manufactured housing and to oversee the licensing of manufactured housing installers. To obtain a license, installers must complete an installation training course and pass an examination certified by KHRC. Additionally, installers must submit an application, licensing fee, and proof of insurance to KHRC. Currently, there are 57 licensed installers in Kansas.
The Manufactured Housing Act also gave KHRC the authority to resolve disputes that may arise between owners and manufactured housing installers regarding installation. An owner of a manufactured home with concerns regarding the installation may file a complaint with KHRC within one year of completion of installation. More information about this dispute resolution process can be found online.
UNLOCKING THE FUTURE
As our state’s economic recovery continues and emergency COVID relief programs wind down, new initiatives will build upon our solid groundwork and unlock more affordable homes for Kansans:
The Home Loan Guarantee (HLG) for Rural Kansas, expected to launch in January 2023, will help lenders guarantee the gap between the cost of building or rehabilitating a rural Kansas home and its appraised value. HLG will guarantee the portion of the loan that exceeds 80-125 percent of the appraised home value, up to $100,00 per home. Two million dollars are available to serve financial institutions working with existing and prospective homeowners in rural Kansas counties. Rural counties are defined as those with populations under 10,000, as certified by the Secretary of State on July 1 of the preceding year.
The Kansas Housing Investor Tax Credit (KHITC), with an annual budget of $13 million, supports
investors who make cash investments in qualified housing projects in counties with fewer than
75,000 residents.
The Rural Housing Revolving Loan Program, established through a $20 million allocation this past year, will provide loans or grants to rural communities for moderate- and low-income housing development or related infrastructure.
The Kansas Affordable Housing Tax Credit Act is a new state tax credit offered in addition to the
federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit to incentivize affordable housing development.
$22.9 million in HOME-ARP funding will provide development and support of affordable housing, non-congregate shelter, tenant based rental assistance, and supportive services for populations that are:
◆ Homeless
◆ At risk of homelessness
◆ Fleeing or attempting to flee domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking
◆ Veterans and families that include a veteran family member
