Being homeless in Kansas City, Kansas, comes with its own set of challenges. Wyandotte County has no permanent emergency shelters. And it has notably fewer resources and less funding available for homeless services than the Missouri side of the Kansas City area. Yet several agencies in that city and Wichita can help homeless people with […]
Housing
The Wichita Beacon shares the latest housing stories in Wichita and their impact on their communities.
Posted inElections
How to track political contributions in Sedgwick County
Money drives politics, fueling the same question every election: Who’s trying to buy influence with their donations? But finding out who funds city or county races can be a challenge if you don’t know where or what to look for. Mark Skoglund, executive director of the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission, said voters should look for […]
Posted inEducation
How the Kansas open enrollment law is playing out in Wichita-area schools
Aaron McCarty sees houses going up everywhere around Maize and thinks of the families who will fill them — and the children who will fill up classrooms. So he believes the Maize school district’s decision to shut off the enrollment of students from other towns makes sense, he said. “Are we going to need more […]
Posted inHousing, Local Government, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
Wichita’s mayor backs municipal IDs, but city council objects they weren’t consulted
Some Wichita City Council members were surprised Thursday night when Mayor Lily Wu and City Manager Robert Layton announced to a large crowd the city’s commitment to municipal IDs and other initiatives that haven’t been voted on. One such commitment was to implement a municipal ID program, an initiative started by previous Mayor Brandon Whipple […]
Posted inEconomics, Health, Housing
Kansas is injecting $205 million into a biomedical campus. How it changes downtown Wichita
It is closing in on a weekday lunch hour with few signs of life on an April morning at the southeast corner of Broadway Avenue and East William Street. On the corner, a parking lot. To the west, the distinctive Depression-era Petroleum Building sits empty. To the south and east, toward the Intrust Bank Arena, […]
Posted inHousing
Two homes, one lot and a possible way to make homeownership more in reach in Wichita
As Julie Moore and her elderly parents prepared to move from Oklahoma City to Wichita, they had some very specific needs. They wanted to be close to family and friends north of the city. And with Moore working from home, they needed enough space for her to do her medical coding and for her parents […]
Posted inHousing, How To, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
What to know if you’re thinking about buying a house in Wichita
Buying a house can be a daunting process at any time, with it being the largest purchase most people make. It may be especially so right now because of rising housing costs and interest rates, plus the limited market of houses available. This story was developed for an email course, part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative’s […]
Posted inHousing
A new email course helps first-time homebuyers thrive in Wichita’s tight housing market
March tends to mark an uptick in homebuying activity in the Wichita area, with sales typically peaking in May, June, July and August. With housing in shorter supply, buying a home in the Wichita area looks different these days than it did even just five years ago. Listings are down, and there are fewer sales. […]
Posted inHousing, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
Meet the group offering dinner with a side of community in a downtown parking lot
As the sun set on the parking lot of St. John’s Episcopal Church on North Topeka Street, volunteers began arriving, setting up tables, playing music and rolling out coolers. Every Thursday night, people from different walks of life congregate with a shared purpose: to meet the needs of downtown Wichita’s homeless population and anyone else […]
Posted inHousing, Local Government, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
Will Sedgwick County homeowners see tax appraisals increase again? Here’s what to expect
Takeaways: Sixty percent of Sedgwick County homeowners will see higher tax appraisals when notices are mailed out March 1. Despite the bad news for three in five residential property owners, it’s actually the lowest proportion of appraisal increases since 2018. Appraisals went up for 80% of homeowners in 2023 and 88% in 2022. This year, […]