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December 28, 2020

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced that a planning and design firm with extensive statewide experience will lead Kansas’ first comprehensive housing needs assessment in nearly 30 years. RDG Planning & Design, an Omaha-based consultancy, will conduct an in-depth discovery process, assess current housing opportunities and identify goals, and develop strategic initiatives to guide the state’s future housing development efforts.

“A shortage of quality, affordable housing is one of our state’s biggest barriers to growth and development, particularly in our rural communities,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This statewide housing assessment will provide us with a starting point on how we can positively affect communities’ abilities to grow and provide the quality of life that every Kansan deserves, regardless of their zip code.”

RDG has worked in Kansas communities ranging from Scott City to Chanute, De Soto to Dickinson County. The firm’s initiatives have included collaborating with Dodge City officials to develop some of the state’s first Rural Housing Incentive Districts (RHID), working with Salina leaders to encourage greater reinvestment in core neighborhoods, and helping Johnson County navigate tremendous new growth.

“Dodge City has put a major focus on addressing our housing shortage to provide essential homes for our workforce,” said Joann Knight, Executive Director of the Dodge City/Ford County Development Corporation. “RDG plays a vital role in our success, and their attention to detail makes understanding housing needs much easier.”

“RDG has had the pleasure to work in every corner of Kansas, from the state’s largest cities to its smallest communities,” said Amy Haase, RDG Principal. “We have developed a deep understanding of the wide breadth of housing opportunities and challenges facing Kansans, and we are proud that communities continue to seek us out both for the expertise we provide and the passion we bring for creating great places.”

Kansas has not conducted a significant housing study in decades, resulting in a shortage of data on existing housing resources and current and projected needs. The Office of Rural Prosperity’s Housing Work Group, an interagency team of state leaders led by KHRC Executive Director Ryan Vincent, identified a needs assessment as a crucial first step in addressing the state’s housing needs and priorities, particularly in rural and underserved areas.

“As I have discussed with Kansans across the state, housing is a barrier for communities to recruiting and retaining skilled workers,” Lt. Governor Lynn Rogers said. “This statewide assessment will allow us to determine what our current housing needs are and how best to address them.”

The state’s Office of Rural Prosperity, in conjunction with Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC), the state’s housing finance agency, selected the firm through a competitive RFP process and will manage the project. The assessment process is expected to extend throughout 2021, with the final report’s delivery anticipated in December 2021.

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Governor Laura Kelly and Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers created the Office of Rural Prosperity (ORP), a nonpartisan initiative established in part to ensure that rural Kansas is heard and represented in the statehouse. The ORP aims to streamline rural policy while focusing on the issues that matter to rural Kansans. During the ORP’s 2019 and 2020 statewide listening and action tours, housing was brought up by leaders in every region of the state as a vital component of recruiting and retaining workers, families, and entrepreneurs to help rural Kansas thrive.

Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) helps Kansans access the quality, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. Codified at K.S.A. 74-8901 et. seq., KHRC is a public corporation and independent instrumentality of the state. KHRC serves as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA), administering essential housing and community programs to serve Kansans. Learn more about KHRC’s core values, programs, and services online.

December 10, 2020

Lori Threadgold will lead Kansas’ housing finance operations, serving as Chief Financial Officer of the state’s housing finance agency, KHRC Executive Director Ryan Vincent announced. As CFO, Threadgold will oversee the corporation’s investment portfolio, monitor grant activity and program funds, develop financial plans, and ensure proper internal controls.

“We are delighted to welcome Lori back to KHRC,” Vincent said. “Her financial background, along with her specialized housing finance experience, make her a valuable asset to our executive leadership team.”

Threadgold brings nearly two decades of experience to the role, including 10 years as Kansas Housing’s Senior Accountant and CFO. Prior to her previous stint at KHRC, she worked at Security Benefit and Community America Credit Union.

A Topeka native, Threadgold is a graduate of Topeka High. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and Business Administration from the University of Kansas, a Master’s of Business Administration from Washburn University, and has been a Certified Public Accountant since 2011.

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A self-supporting, nonprofit, public corporation, Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) helps Kansans access the quality, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. KHRC serves as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA), administering essential housing and community programs to serve Kansans.

December 7, 2020

Nine Kansas communities will receive a combined total of almost $2 million to develop affordable housing for moderate-income families. The funding, made possible through the state of Kansas’ Moderate Income Housing (MIH) program, provides grants or loans to develop housing and support homeownership programs in cities or counties with populations of less than 60,000.

Combined with the amount leveraged by each community to support the proposed initiatives, the awards represent a total investment of $6.2 million and a net gain of 76 affordable, quality homes for rural communities across the state.

“A lack of quality, affordable housing is one of the greatest barriers to growth and development in rural Kansas,” said Ryan Vincent, Kansas Housing’s Executive Director. “The Moderate Income Housing program serves Kansans who don’t qualify for federal housing assistance yet struggle to afford market rate housing. This year alone, the MIH program saw a 33 percent increase in applications and a 57 percent increase in funding requests, demonstrating the ongoing and growing need for this crucial assistance.”

This year’s awards will help convert a historic building into rental apartments in Alma, fund infrastructure and construction of 18 homes in Independence and Neodesha, and provide down payment assistance for new homeowners in McPherson and Marion, among other initiatives. See additional details for all seven awards below and the 2020 MIH award list online.

The MIH program is the state’s sole housing appropriation from the Kansas Legislature. Kansas Housing administers the MIH program at no cost to the state. The Legislature allocates funding on a pass-through basis, and Kansas Housing manages the application and award process. With a 2020 MIH budget of $2 million, Kansas currently allocates roughly $.69 per citizen to housing.

Community	Description	Number of Homes Proposed	Award Amount	Total Amount Leveraged
Alma	Renovation of a historic building in downtown Alma to create 8 rental apartments	8	$ 307,050	$ 360,000
Chanute	Construction of a rental quadplex and homebuyer assistance and rehabilitation for 14 houses	18	$ 300,000	$ 360,000
Baldwin City, Eudora	Construction of 6 new homes, down payment assistance for 4 homes	10	$ 400,000	$ 1,015,000
Holton	Infrastructure and construction of a 10-home subdivision, down payment assistance for 4 homes	14	$ 390,000	$ 3,918,000
Independence, Neodesha	Infrastructure and construction of 18 homes	18	$ 400,000	$ 464,500
Marion	Down payment assistance	4	$ 100,000	$ 102,000
McPherson	Down payment assistance	4	$ 100,000	$ 51,600
*TOTAL*		76	*$ 1,997,050*	*$ 6,219,500*

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A self-supporting, nonprofit, public corporation, Kansas Housing helps Kansans access the safe, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. For more information about the Moderate Income Housing program, please contact Program Director Alissa Ice at aice@kshousingcorp.org or visit our website.

November 20, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) held its leadership election on October 26 during the association’s 2020 Annual Conference & Showcase, selecting Ryan Vincent, Kansas Housing’s Executive Director, to serve on its national Board of Directors.

Nominated from among and voted on by the executive directors of the member state housing finance agencies, NCSHA’s newly-elected Board officers are:
• Chair: Scott Spivey | Mississippi Home Corporation
• Vice Chair: Margaret Salazar | Oregon Housing and Community Services
• Secretary/Treasurer: Anas Ben Addi | Delaware State Housing Authority

Newly-elected Board directors are:
• Bryan Butcher | Alaska Housing Finance Corporation
• Maura Collins | Vermont Housing Finance Agency
• Kristin Faust | Illinois Housing Development Authority
• Scott Hoversland | Wyoming Community Development Authority
• Nandini Natarajan | Connecticut Housing Finance Authority
• Ryan Vincent | Kansas Housing Resources Corporation
• Robin Wiessmann | Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
• Bobby Wilkinson | Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs

Incumbent Board directors are:
• Tia Boatman Patterson | California Housing Finance Agency
• Jennifer Ho | Minnesota Housing
• Chrystal Kornegay | MassHousing
• Ralph Perrey | Tennessee Housing Development Agency
• Trey Price | Florida Housing Finance Corporation

“In my 15 years of service at Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC), I have developed a deep appreciation and respect for NCSHA,” Vincent said. “NCSHA is a team of people committed to the idea of Home, and everything that word entails. Through the work of NCSHA and each of the member HFAs, we are creating, maintaining, and celebrating Home across the nation for those we serve.”

“Our 2021 Board of Directors is the most diverse in NCSHA’s history,” said NCSHA Executive Director Stockton Williams. “With their leadership and that of all state HFA executive directors, NCSHA has never been better served to address the affordable housing challenges our country faces.”

For more than 50 years, state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) have played a central role in the nation’s affordable housing system, delivering financing to make possible the purchase, development, and rehabilitation of affordable homes and rental apartments for low- and middle-income households.

The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization created to advance, through advocacy and education, the efforts of the nation’s state HFAs and their partners to provide affordable housing to those who need it. NCSHA’s vision: An affordably housed nation.

Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) helps Kansans access the quality, affordable housing they need and the dignity they deserve. KHRC serves as the state’s housing finance agency (HFA), administering essential housing and community programs to serve Kansans.

November 17, 2020

TOPEKA – Five nonprofit organizations across the state received supplemental funding to support local COVID relief efforts, thanks to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The funds, made available through the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) program, will alleviate the effects of poverty by helping individuals and families with low incomes achieve stability and access economic opportunities.

“Our CSBG providers have long served on the front lines of our communities, providing vital services for Kansans in need,” said Ryan Vincent, Executive Director of Kansas Housing. “Now more than ever, these resources will help Kansans support their families and stay safe during this time of crisis.”

Funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the CSBG program supports local service partners that provide resources and assistance to low-income community members. Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC) serves as the state’s CSBG program administrator. CSBG grant awards help fund a range of community resources, including job training, financial management education, childcare services, housing and feeding programs, and more.

The supplemental CARES Act CSBG funding will support five nonprofit service providers across the state as they assist community members adversely impacted by the COVID pandemic. Funding will help winterize homes, deliver fresh food to low-income communities, remove barriers to employment for job seekers, and provide emergency food, housing, and utility assistance. Service partners applied for funding through a competitive application process. Complete award details are listed below.

Subgrantee agency

Services funded

Service area

Amount awarded

Catholic Charities, Inc. Diocese of Wichita

Funding will support a Case Manager position and will address employment barriers, including lack of transportation, appropriate clothing, and childcare.

Wichita area

$ 55,187.00

ECKAN

Funding will provide emergency assistance for rent, utilities, and other essential expenses for each of the agency’s nine service counties.

ECKAN service area

$ 156,667.80

Episcopal Social Services, Inc., DBA Breakthrough

Funding will be used to complete the final planning phase for a food processing center that will increase the availability of fresh food to low-income individuals through non-profit partners.

Wichita

$ 74,000.00

Harvest America Corporation

Funding will provide food assistance and utility assistance to 100 low-income families.

Western Kansas- 43 counties

$100,000.00

Topeka Habitat for Humanity

Funding will provide winterization kits for low-income families, allowing them to use funds that would have been spent on energy bills to offset the increased childcare and food costs being driven by COVID-19.

Topeka

$ 20,212.00

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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 primary administrator of federal housing programs for the state of Kansas.

November 12, 2020

Supplemental Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funding, provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act of 2020 (CARES Act–CV), is now available to assist communities in their efforts to prevent and respond to homelessness. Funds must serve community members currently experiencing or at risk of homelessness and must be used to prevent, prepare for, or mitigate the effects of coronavirus.

Kansas Housing will accept applications from any unit of local government, including cities and counties. Local governments may apply on behalf of nonprofit organizations, which can provide services as a subrecipient or subgrantee. Eligible grant-funded activities may include:

Emergency Shelter
Homelessness Prevention
Street Outreach
Rapid Rehousing
Homeless Management Information System (HMIS)
Program Administration

Applications are due Tuesday, Dec. 15. Funds must be expended between Jan. 1 and Dec. 30, 2021. The program may be extended as needed based upon availability of ESG-CV funding.

Recipients must certify they will meet program requirements and applicable federal requirements. Government recipients and subrecipients must comply with Uniform Administrative Requirements Cost Principles and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 CFR part 200.

Questions? Review our partner recruitment webinar and application materials online, or contact ESG Program Manager James Chiselom.

Submit applications to J ames Chiselom, ESG Program Manager, and Brina Nold, Administrative Specialist.