Kansas

Housing vouchers help shelter Kansas families. But too many landlords discriminate against them. • Kansas Reflector

Published

2 years ago

June 11, 2024

Housing vouchers help shelter Kansas families. But too many landlords discriminate against them. • Kansas Reflector

Recently, a Manhattan resident contacted all five city commissioners of the Little Apple to express their frustration with suddenly being asked to vacate their long-term residential unit.

The individual described how difficult it is to find adequate housing elsewhere in the city because many landlords refuse to accept prospective tenants who use public assistance to afford housing in the private market. This is a practice commonly referred to as source of income discrimination.

This resident participated in the Housing Choice Voucher program. The HCV program is funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and administered by local public housing agencies, such as the Manhattan Housing Authority. Established under Section 8 of the 1937 National Housing Act, the voucher program is the federal government’s largest “program for assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market.”

With this assistance, HCV tenants are able to find housing appropriate for their income and composition, such as single-family homes, duplexes, and apartments.

Only one-third of the 2.2 million housing voucher households in the United States are protected by a source of income nondiscrimination policy. This leaves nearly 1.5 million HCV households — largely composed of disabled and elderly folks, and single parents — vulnerable to being denied or asked to vacate their rental unit due to unwillingness of landlords to participate.

Inspired by the courage of the person who contacted their city commissioners, I decided to investigate why source of income discrimination occurs and estimate the acceptance rate of HCV tenants in Manhattan relative to the nation.

According to a 2018 report by the Urban Institute, there are two broad reasons why landlords refuse to accept prospective HCV tenants: stigma surrounding housing assistance recipients and bad experiences with the program.

Potential neighbors and landlords of HCV families fear their property values will decline and their community will experience a rise in crime — common prejudices held against people of color, as well as low-income and disabled people. Landlords also worry that that families receiving housing vouchers are more likely to damage the property and fail to pay rent than other tenants. These feelings exist despite a lack of evidence. In fact, HCV families live in their units an average of seven to eight years, compared with the two to three years unassisted tenants tend to reside in a rental unit.

Landlords are also concerned about their ability to charge HCV households the same rent unassisted tenants pay, evict bad tenants in the event of a lease violation, and control who they lease to.

However, HUD explains that “landlords can charge the full rent no matter who the tenant is.”

The onus is on the local public housing agencies and the prospective housing voucher tenants to determine an affordable rent given their monthly income and assistance. Furthermore, landlords can subject HCV tenants to the same screening and eviction processes agreed to by unassisted tenants, and there is no requirement that properties with such tenants exclusively lease to publicly assisted families.

In the same article by the Urban Institute, the group found that in cities from four states plus Washington D.C., an average of 53% of landlords denied leasing to prospective HCV tenants. However, in two of these cities — Washington, D.C., and Newark, New Jersey — source of income nondiscrimination policies are in effect. In the three cities without such protections — Fort Worth, Texas; Los Angeles; and Philadelphia — an average of 73.7% of landlords refused to accept HCV families.

To compare these national survey results to the acceptance rate of HCV tenants in Manhattan, I called a randomly selected group of landlords and property management companies with rental units in the city. The U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey estimates there are 14,561 rental units in Manhattan, of which my sample of respondents oversees 4,998 — 34.3% of the rental market in the city.

Based on information gathered from each landlord and property management company I surveyed, 3,610 units (72.2%) of their rental market share are unavailable to prospective housing voucher households.

The consequences of this widespread denial of housing to very low-income families are antithetical to the mission of public housing agencies, which aim to foster socioeconomically integrated communities where upward mobility and self-sufficiency will not be obstructed by place. With much of the market unavailable to voucher-holders, communities without source of income nondiscrimination policies are likely to see further concentration of low-income people into crowded, dilapidated housing in neighborhoods that lack access to public accommodations such as mass transit, food stores, parks and well-resourced schools.

To combat these adverse effects, a growing number of cities and states are enacting policies that protect people from source of income discrimination. Thanks to the brave housing voucher tenant who contacted the city commissioners, Manhattan is beginning to consider this policy route.

This article is one of four that will be published in the following days and is meant to explain the housing voucher program from the perspective of participants in Manhattan. I hope readers develop an appreciation for the effect this program has on their communities, specifically the people it helps — tenants and landlords.

Kelm Lear is an intern at the Manhattan Housing Authority. He is in the master’s of public administration program at Kansas State University. Through its opinion section, the Kansas Reflector works to amplify the voices of people who are affected by public policies or excluded from public debate. Find information, including how to submit your own commentary, here.

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Related Topics:Affordable Housing Featured housing housing vouchers rental housing

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Kansas

Severe weather sets back Kansas wheat harvest

Published

6 hours ago

June 12, 2026

Press Room

Severe weather sets back Kansas wheat harvest

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Severe weather and humidity are holding back the wheat harvest in Kansas and adding to historically low yields.

Justin Gilpin, the chief executive officer of the Kansas Wheat Commission said Thursday that nearly 20% of the acres planted won’t be harvested this year because of poor crop conditions.

“It’s been a challenging year for Kansas wheat farmers from production because of weather,” Gilpin said. “And ironically, the dry weather’s what caused the low, low estimates and low yields, and now, we’re seeing some crop losses because of too much rain and high humidity.”

He said some recent crop losses are piling on top of what was going to be one of the lowest productions Kansas has seen since the 1960s.

But some farmers have had more luck than others, Gilpin said.

While some are collecting yields of 10 to 15 bushels per acre, others are getting 50 per acre, depending on when the rain hits and how the wheat varieties respond.

Gilpin said harvest has been slow because farmers have had to pause for the weather multiple times.

Despite a 40% decrease in production compared to last year, Kansas remains the largest wheat producer in the United States, which Gilpin said, is being watched by people across the globe.

“A lot of eyes, you know, around the United States but also around the world are always eager to see how the bushels are going to come in from our Kansas farms because of the impact that we have,” he said.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

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Kansas

Kansas City area boosted infrastructure for FIFA World Cup. Now, the games begin

Published

17 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City area boosted infrastructure for FIFA World Cup. Now, the games begin

An estimated 650,000 visitors will flood the Kansas City area over the course of the month-long FIFA World Cup, which chose Kansas and Missouri as the home for four teams and at least six matches.

The event catalyzed a major transportation expansion, created temporary diplomatic offices, and established dedicated health care infrastructure to support Kansas City visitors. The area is one of 11 American host cities for the North American tournament.

The first match between Mexico and South Africa begins Thursday in Mexico City.

Kansas City’s first match is scheduled for June 16 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City between Argentina and Algeria, both of which will be based in the Kansas City area for the tournament’s duration, along with the teams from the Netherlands and England.

KC2026, the area’s nonprofit World Cup planning organization, estimated Kansas City could see more than $650 million in economic activity.

As home to the tournament’s smallest host city, the states of Kansas and Missouri, and local governments will be looking to recoup $111 million in public investments dedicated to the tournament. Combined with federal funds, almost $200 million in public money has laid the foundation for the 2026 World Cup in Kansas City.

Salma Aouam, a former Fulbright Scholar and graduate student at Kansas State University, said the Kansas City area has the opportunity to capitalize on the predicted tourism influx by promoting surrounding attractions beyond the World Cup.

“They’ll visit national parks in Arkansas, visit bison farms in Missouri, and hike prairies in Kansas. They’ll experience that classic version of Midwest America, and it’s something they’ll remember long after the tournament,” Aouam said on June 4, citing her graduate research, which examined the effect of major sporting events on urban mobility.

KC2026 brought in 200 new buses to create three new bus service systems: A regional service that will connect riders to area attractions, a stadium service that will act as match-day transportation for ticket holders, and an airport service that runs between the Kansas City International Airport and downtown Kansas City every 15 minutes.

The bus systems exist on top of existing bus, car and streetcar transportation. Aouam said the expanded park-and-ride bus options should be implemented long-term, if they prove successful. She encouraged KC2026 to continue its work after the tournament to provide long-lasting transportation solutions to the region.

“All of these are big ‘ifs,’” Aouam said. “We may see a lot of confusion when international tourists land in Kansas City for the World Cup and find out they can’t walk to the stadium, like they might in other big cities or in their home countries.”

The planning committee established in Overland Park a Consular Services Center, which provides temporary diplomatic and citizen support services for Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Ecuador and Netherlands, and Curaçao.

The countries’ governments expect the World Cup to draw “significant numbers of visitors” to the Kansas City area, according to the committee.

Algeria, Argentina, England and Netherlands have base camps in the Kansas City area.

The consulates will be located at the Overland Park Convention Center. They are equipped to help with emergency passports and travel documents, citizen registration, welfare checks and coordination during legal or medical emergencies, according to the committee.

“Providing direct access to consular support services helps ensure visitors feel informed, supported and connected while they are here in our region,” said Pam Kramer, CEO of KC2026.

The University of Kansas Health System is the designated medical provider for the World Cup, offering first aid and medical care planning.

Leading up to kickoff, the health system has published a series of short, informational videos under the banner “Before the First Kick” discussing firework and burn injuries, mass casualty events, heat illness, and the difference between urgent care and emergency care.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, a Democrat representing a Kansas City-area congressional district in Kansas, delivered remarks Monday on the U.S. House floor, commemorating the start to the tournament.

“The matches will bring excitement, visitors and economic opportunity to the Kansas City metro area. And the impact won’t end when the final whistle blows,” Davids said. “The investments we’ve made in infrastructure, transportation, safety, and community development will benefit Kansas City and our surrounding communities for generations to come.”

Davids founded the Congressional FIFA World Cup 2026 Caucus, which helped lead federal preparations. The federal government allocated $625 million to the country’s host cities for safety and security costs and $100 million for transit operations. Her office estimated the tournament will generate 185,000 jobs and $17.2 billion in GDP.

But that depends on visitors actually arriving, staying and spending the projected amount of money in host cities.

A May report from the American Hotel and Lodging Association that surveyed hoteliers across the country warned of hotel bookings trailing expectations.

Between 85 and 90% of Kansas City-area respondents reported bookings were below expectations, falling short of a typical June or July without any major events, the report said.

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