KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KC Tenants is calling for a "People's Housing Trust Fund," and released the proposal on Saturday, at a rally at the Gabriel Towers located at 1600 Jackson Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri.
“We are the experts on our own needs," Skyler Whittaker, a leader with KC Tenants, said in a press release. "Not the city government, not institutions, and definitely not landlords or the police. Our People’s Housing Trust Fund would give us the power to design social housing that meets our needs. This is NOT a developer’s slush fund. Those days are over."
The proposal focuses on three components: governance, funding and programs.
KC Tenants wants the trust fund to be governed by the city and overseen by people who are directly impacted by housing insecurity through a formal board.
It also calls for funding that divests a system that harms people facing housing insecurity and instead invests into homes for them.
The group also wants supporting programs that are inclusive and accessible and foster ownership opportunities for people facing housing insecurity.
According to KC Tenants, it will send a full copy of the proposal to KCMO Mayor Quinton Lucas and all City Council members on Monday.
41 Action News reached out to a city spokesperson for comment on the proposal.
The city spokesperson pointed to a number of efforts the city has implemented in 2021 to help people experiencing homelessness.
Among those include creating a Housing and Community Development Department and working on a "tiny homes village," among others.
