The City of Wichita is continuing to develop guidelines and procedures for a program to expand affordable housing in the community. The City Council has approved updates in requirements and guidelines for an Affordable Housing Fund that was created in 2022.
The city is taking $5 million in funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act to use in the housing fund. Sarah Gooding with the city’s Department of Housing and Community Services said the goal of the Housing Fund is to improve the quality of existing housing stock while expanding quality affordable housing options. The fund is also aimed at promoting neighborhood stability in the core area of the city.
Gooding said the first clear priority will be projects that renovate and rehabilitate existing Wichita Housing Authority public housing units. She said there are a couple of clusters of properties that will be early candidates for this effort, and the program will be aimed at low-to-moderate income households.
The city has created an Affordable Housing Review Board that began meeting during the summer, and the board will be reviewing proposals for housing construction, renovation and rehabilitation.
