KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The need for affordable housing remains critical, a topic likely to be front and center when U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia Fudge visits Kansas City on Wednesday.
In the Oak Park Northwest neighborhood, the issue is on the top of many residents' minds.
At Mount Washington Missionary Baptist Church, the Neighbor 2 Neighbor organization is helping people find housing.
A man named Anthony is navigating his own situation with a social worker.
"I was struggling really hard and she got me a safe place to stay in the winter because I almost froze to death," he explained. "She’s trying to get a roof over my head right now as we speak. She works so hard for me."
The issue can be overwhelming for caseworker Joann Stovall, who works at Neighbor 2 Neighbor. She says she has too many clients to count.
"We need more caseworkers and I try to do it all and it’s very difficult. I can’t get it done. I need help. I just have to look at one case at a time because if I didn’t do that, I’d quit," she said.
Despite the demand, Neighbor 2 Neighbor executive director Gregory Parr says he's encouraged by some of the progress that's been made so far.
"I was homeless for about 3.5 years of my life and there was no such thing as programs they have now, like state recovery support services paying for recovery housing while you’re on a waiting list," Parr said. "Back in the days when I was homeless, there was no such thing. I believe [Kansas City, Missouri] Mayor Lucas and the homeless coalition is doing good by working together to solve those problems."
Parr said there's still work to be done.
"Why don’t we have the same type of funding for those solutions such as social workers, drug treatment centers, detox, available for those looking for housing?" Parr asked.
That funding question is back on Neighbor 2 Neighbor's radar with the mayor's announcement about new funding to address the issue.
"I already emailed the mayor’s office and I want to know what those community services and prevention means," Parr said. "Does that mean they’ll help service centers like ours to get people off the street?"
While they search for answers, their work continues.
"It's a big problem in Kansas City," Parr said.
41 Action News has additional in-depth coverage planned about the city's affordable housing concerns - stay tuned on air and online for those stories.
