What was once a home to millionaires in east Kansas City, Troost Avenue has become KC's largest economic divide.
The Troost border on the east side of the city is where you’ll find one of the problems that plagues KC most: vacant homes.
One member of Kansas City’s east side community wants to do something about it.
Kristin Carter has lived on the east side for six years, and she has seen firsthand how the community struggles to deal with the ongoing problem of vacant homes.
“These vacant homes hurt our city. There are people who don’t take pride in their homes, or don’t respect other people’s property,” said Carter. “We do have it here more because it’s a concentrated area, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it.“
Following the airing of Kansas City Public Television’s documentary “Our Divided City,” Carter took action and started an Instagram account called “East of Troost”, which sheds light on the city’s east side with hopes to eradicate the negative issues.
CLICK HERE to follow the East of Troost Instagram account
“I created the Instagram account after 'Our Divided City' aired, which was kind of made complimentary to the documentary,” Carter said. “We found that a lot of people didn’t know what was happening east of Troost because they don’t go over here. There’s a stigma, and I just wanted to showcase the blight that has been going on to keep up the public’s awareness and continue the conversation.”
Despite the issues that cripple east Kansas City, Carter believes that her neighborhood is working to make things safer — but more needs to be done.
“We’re no different than any other community, but there’s just a lot of nothingness,” said Carter. “If we want our communities to heal at all, Kansas City as a whole, people are going to have to travel and not be afraid of the city’s east side. It’s a great place to live. It’s not a scary place to be. That’s why my family lives here.”
Carter urges the public to reject the stigma that surrounds east KC and to actually take action by rebuilding neighborhoods.
“I think that people need to come over here and not just watch it from the TV or an Instagram account. There are a lot of great houses that could be revamped and lived in,” said Carter. “We need great people coming to live in this part of the city so it isn’t just a vacant wasteland."
In an effort to make the east side more appealing to homebuyers, Kansas City's Land Bank listed over one hundred homes for only a dollar.
Previous story: KCMO selling vacant houses for only a dollar
Watch the full-length KCPT documentary 'Our Divided City' below to learn more on what’s being done about Troost Avenue dividing Kansas City.
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