Where is the affordable housing gap in Kansas City region?

For decades, the Kansas City region has relied on affordability as a major selling point for economic development and quality of life. Today, however, these advantages are not available to all residents. The increases in major cost-of-living categories, such as housing, transportation, health care and groceries, are creating major challenges for low-income residents.

The region is full of options to minimize the month-to-month cost of housing for high- and moderate-income households on the surface. But low-income residents face a scarcity of options, often competing for too few places and paying more for housing than they can afford. For these residents, there are too few units in not enough places.

The Kansas City region’s claim of affordability holds a contradiction: plentiful housing available at affordable prices for moderate- and high-income households and a scarcity of options for those with fewer means.