2000 Best Practice Awards

Best Practice: Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Project

Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Project Builds Low-Income Homes

Kansas City. The Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Project was established in 1994 to restore an area in the Kansas City African-American community that was characterized by blight, deteriorating infrastructure, abandoned housing, high crime and a declining population. The project has begun site preparation and construction of new affordable single-family homes that will be a significant housing opportunity for very low-income first-time minority homebuyers. A day care center has been established and a community education building is under construction. Also planned is a senior center with senior housing. To recruit qualified homebuyers, the project offers homebuyer education programs for people interested in purchasing homes in the redevelopment area.

Contact: Ervin Sims, Jr., Phone: (913) 621-2525
Tracking Number: 800
Winning Category: Program (Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity)

Best Practice: Shorey Estates Subdivision—Infill Housing

City of Topeka Builds Low- to Moderate Single Family Homes

Topeka. The City of Topeka has successfully redeveloped a city-owned, vacant parcel of land that was once the site of 100 severely deteriorated public-housing units. The land has been re-platted to support a new 24-unit single family subdivision for low- to moderate-income families. A grant from the Capitol Federal Foundation will pay all but $500 of the buyers’ closing costs. Home construction is spearheaded by Goodwill Industries and Heartland Works, which are providing skills training and comprehensive support services for the welfare-to-work participants that are being trained to fill the area’s shortage of skilled construction workers. The adjoining property owner, the YMCA, provides free memberships to all future Shorey Estates residents and membership subsidies and waivers of program fees to all local public housing tenants. In addition, the YMCA has converted the dilapidated community center of the previous public-housing complex into a daycare center for the children of low- to moderate-income families.

Contact: Kevin Rooney, Phone: (785) 368-4484
Tracking Number: 627
Winning Category: Program (Community Planning and Development)

Content Archived: April 20, 2011