Dec. 3—On Monday, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly launched the Kansas housing needs assessment tour, an effort to preview the first comprehensive statewide housing study in nearly 30 years.
The fact that the state is tackling the housing crisis is a good sign, said Great Bend Economic Development Inc. President Sara Hayden. GBED has targeted the lack of housing as a major problem locally.
"I think it's fantastic that the state is taking active measures to understand and address this problem," she said. Kansas is primarily rural, and rural areas are struggling the most to keep up with the housing demand.
"Kansas has taken some great strides over this past year to recruit new business and capital investment to Kansas," she said. "But the progress will quickly halt if we can't provide enough housing to meet the incoming demand."
The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation and the Office of Rural Prosperity launched the housing study early this year. This tour provides the public a chance to preview regional results at several stops around the state.
The full 2021 Kansas Statewide Housing Needs Assessment will be released at the conclusion of the tour next Thursday.
Tour stops have included or will include Topeka, Kansas City, Overland Park, Atchison, Salina, Hays, Scott City, Dodge City, Derby and Chanute. Hayden plans to attend one of the sessions. Great Bend could fall into the western north-central region with meetings in Salina and Hays Tuesday or the southwestern region with meetings in Scott City and Dodge City on Wednesday.
"Quality, affordable housing brings new families to our communities, enabling businesses to recruit and retain the workforce they need to build on their record growth," Kelly said. "We've known for years that Kansas has a housing shortage — but for too long, we've operated without a strategic focus. Using the information from the first comprehensive housing needs assessment in nearly 30 years, we can develop a data-driven approach to expand affordable housing statewide, support our workforce, and grow our economy."
A needed assessment
"I think the state is really going to have to take a deep dive into infrastructure and building cost incentives," Hayden said. "Rural communities are typically the ones struggling the most with housing and also the ones that are not as easily able to front the millions of dollars to provide new streets, sewers, electricity, etc."
While there are some incentive programs available at the state level to help communities to bridge the gap, "I think it is entirely necessary to look at additional solutions to make building in rural areas more cost effective," she said.