July 11, 2003

HAKC recognized by HUD, The Historic Kansas City Foundation and NAHRO for efforts in Community Revitalization and overall Communications

The Housing Authority of Kansas City, MO (HAKC), received numerous awards from national, regional and local organizations in recent weeks. Though widely divergent, the awards symbolize HAKC’s continued success constructing safe, quality housing for low-income residents, pioneering the rehabilitation and revitalization of Kansas City’s urban core housing and communicating those achievements to its clients and the public.

“The New Face of Public Housing Award”

The U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in May announced the winners of its “New Face of America's Public Housing Award.” The award recognizes housing authorities, developers, and urban designers for their efforts to replace outmoded housing projects with attractive, walk-able, mixed-income neighborhoods.

The Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri received a certificate of recognition for the reconstruction of Guinotte Manor, an apartment complex originally constructed in 1954. Submitted for consideration by the HAKC primarily due to the unique cooperative agreement between project residents, the Kansas City Housing Authority, and the City of Kansas City, the revitalization of Guinotte Manor was led by Jeffrey K. Lines, Special Master of the Housing Authority.

"These projects show how the federal government, local housing authorities, and private designers and developers can partner up to maintain cities and towns," said Lines. "These projects are giving residents a sense of ownership in their communities, leading to reduced crime and improved living conditions for everyone."

"The New Face of America's Public Housing" Awards recognize mixed-finance developments that have demonstrated innovation and leadership in the transformation of public housing and the lives of residents.

The Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) administered the awards proceedings under contract with HUD. The New Face of America's Public Housing Award came about because HUD's HOPE VI program won the Innovations in American Government award from the Ford Foundation and Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. HOPE VI is a HUD program to replace failing housing projects with walk-able, revitalized neighborhoods. The Housing Authority of Kansas City administered three HOPE VI projects, Guinotte Manor, Theron B. Watkins and Cardinal Ridge Apartments (a replacement development for the former Heritage House, apartments for seniors and the disabled).

To decide on the award winners, CNU convened a jury of distinguished professionals from real estate development, policy, and design. Mr. Stefanos Polyzoides, urban designer and Jury Chair. says, "While many of the submitted projects were good attempts at revitalization of a distressed public housing development, the winners recognized here were able to create a holistic environment where anybody would be proud to live."

Agency Publication Awards – Southwest Regional and Missouri NAHRO

The HAKC recently received awards for several of its print publications from the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials. The state organization, Missouri NAHRO, of which HAKC is a member, presented awards to Kansas City’s housing authority for ‘Best Annual Report – 2001,’ ‘Best Newsletters,’ and Best ‘Overall Publications.’ The newsletters, Section 8 Owner News and the HAKC employee newsletter, In the News are monthly publications published by the housing authority. The Best Overall Publications award was received by the HAKC for three publications: the Resident Orientation Guide (for new public housing tenants), the Employee Orientation Packet (for new HAKC employees), and the HAKC Resident “How To” Booklet. The Resident “How To” Booklet provides residents safety tips and simple ‘quick fix’ remedies for non-emergency repairs in their homes.

In a larger regional competition among its peer agencies, the HAKC received a Best Agency Publication Award for the Resident “How To” Booklet and Certificates of Recognition for the 2001 Annual Report and the Resident Orientation Guide. The awards were presented by the Southwest Chapter of NAHRO during its annual conference in June 2003.

Historic Kansas City Foundation Award

The Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri received an award from the Historic Kansas City Foundation for two HAKC public housing ‘scattered site’ homes constructed in the historic Coleman Highlands neighborhood. The construction of two single-family homes in the midtown Kansas City neighborhood where the Thomas Hart Benton home stands could have proved fractious were it not for the efforts of the HAKC to architecturally blend the homes into the historic neighborhood. Painstaking efforts were taken to ensure the homes, located on the southwest corner of Southwest Trafficway and 33rd Street were a complement to the neighborhood. Scattered site public housing is quality single-family town homes, duplexes and houses ‘scattered’ throughout Kansas City.

The availability of the Housing Authority’s traditional public housing apartment complexes and thousands of Section 8 vouchers, coupled with the dramatic expansion of quality scattered site public housing in Kansas City ensures that affordable housing of choice is available to the greatest number of low income residents of Kansas City, Missouri. HAKC can now offer its clients multiple choices in public and private housing in three different counties, eight different school districts and improved access to employment opportunities, shopping, services and recreation.

February 26, 2002

Lead Editorial – Kansas City Star, 2/25/2002

Housing Authority needs responsible, open leadership

After years of federal court oversight, Kansas City's Housing Authority is taking the first steps toward a resumption of local control. It will soon be up to Mayor Kay Barnes to name a new board committed to open and responsible stewardship of the public agency.

By many measures, public housing for low-income residents is much improved. A court-appointed management group, TAG Associates of Boston, has rebuilt or rehabilitated the authority's housing stock, reduced crime and dramatically reduced the vacancy rate.

The effort has produced decent housing for the agency's 3,700 residents. But much more public housing is needed. The agency's waiting list is unacceptably high -- with 9,000 persons waiting for affordable, decent housing.

Recent history shows how easily such an enterprise can be run into the ground. When the authority was seized by the court in 1993, it had a 43 percent vacancy rate and its housing stock was deteriorating. Many complexes had become high-crime areas. Squatters and drug dealers had moved into many of the empty units.

For more than a year, a panel formed by the court-appointed receiver has been working on how to make sure the agency doesn't become dysfunctional again. On Thursday this group is scheduled to select the first slate of nominees for a new board of commissioners, which will set policy for the authority when court supervision comes to an end. That is expected to occur later this year, assuming the state legislature approves a new board structure.

From these nominees, Barnes will choose six of the seven board members, one of whom must be a tenant in Section 8 housing. The seventh seat is for a public housing resident, chosen in an election by other public housing tenants.

The group preparing the Housing Authority for the transition recommends regular reports on operations, vacancy rates, finances, the condition of property and customer satisfaction surveys. The federal government also receives regular reports on the agency's performance.

To ensure continued success, local officials must resist the temptation -- so evident in the past -- to treat the housing authority as outside the scope of local concerns.

Much of the responsibility will be on the new housing commissioners. They must build a culture of openness and insist that decisions be made in full public view.