Policy
To be effective at what we do requires having both an on-the-ground view of neighborhoods, and a panoramic take on all the forces that shape communities. It requires sensitivity to the needs and desires of residents and seeing the big picture: pulling the lens back and working to shape the overarching government policies that help or hinder disinvested communities and the families who live, work, and pray there.
Historically disinvested communities need public policies that center their needs. LISC Kansas City’s local policy work focuses on increasing opportunities for affordable and mixed income housing, as well as community health, and safety and justice.
As a national organization, LISC Policy recognizes the important role that the federal government plays in influencing local communities and peoples; lives. That's why we work with Congress and federal agencies to establish and safeguard funding sources, policies, programs and strategies that spur equitable neighborhood revitalization in urban and rural communities throughout the country.
LISC Kansas City is a lead member of the Urban Neighborhood Initiative’s Promoting Equitable Neighborhood (PEN) Action Group. This coalition includes housing advocates, community development corporations and financial institutions, anchor institutions, public agencies, urban core residents, and more and is focused on equitable, affordable housing policy solutions. We successfully advocated for the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s Affordable Set Aside Ordinance (No. 201038) passed in January 2021. We have also put forward recommendations to capitalize, structure, and prioritize spending for the City’s Housing Trust Fund and LISC is actively working to identify capital resources.
2021 was a busy policy year for LISC. We are grateful for our numerous partners and the leadership of City Council Members and Staff that helped make 2021 a momentous year for housing in KCMO.
