Mayor Lucas & KCMO City Council Recognize LISC KC With a Proclamation for 40 Years of Community Development

Remarks by Geoff Jolley, Executive Director of LISC Greater Kansas City
upon presentation of Resolution No. 220560 by the City of Kansas City, Missouri
on June 30, 2022.

Thank you Mayor Lucas and Members of the City Council for this recognition. We are grateful to Councilwoman Bough for introducing the special action and to the others on the Council who we have had the pleasure of working with on a number of issues.

I want to take a moment to acknowledge and thank representatives of our LISC Greater Kansas City staff as well as some of our Local Advisory Board members who were able to join us today. I also want to acknowledge that, while we are celebrating our 40-year history in Kansas City, we are building on the incredible work of prior staff, Advisory Board members, and partners who came before us. In fact, none of our impact would be as significant if it wasn’t for the residents, neighborhoods, and nearly two dozen community-based organizations that we have the pleasure of standing alongside.

As we are wrapping up National Homeownership Month, I think it is worth acknowledging the ongoing gaps in access to homeownership and affordable housing that too many continue to face in our community. We often talk about the challenges renters are facing, but over 20,000 homeowners in this City are also housing cost-burdened. Additionally, as many in this room are aware, the racial gaps in homeownership continue to be significant. As the Urban League’s State of Black Kansas City recently highlighted using Census data, there is more than 30% difference between homeownership rates among white Kansas City families and Black Kansas City families, with less than 4 in 10 Black households owning their home, compared to 7 in 10 white households. Ongoing challenges accessing low-cost capital, quality-paying jobs, and real estate appraisal gaps all contribute to these inequities. As homeownership continues to be a significant path to intergenerational wealth opportunities, these disparities must be addressed.

As we look to the future, rest assured, we will continue to fight to close the racial health, wealth, and opportunity gaps that exist thru addressing affordable housing, financial stability, and economic development to help foster a more equitable and thriving community that so many deserve.

We are grateful, Mr. Mayor and Members of the Council, for today’s recognition and hope you will join us on Oct. 13th at the Urban Youth Academy for our annual celebration, Thrive.

Thank you.