Lawrence Affordable Housing Advisory Board Summary
Week of October 9, 2026
Lawrence tenants request funding for renter advocacy and education
Housing Stabilization Collaborative pitches rent and utility assistance
Lawrence Habitat for Humanity seeks support for critical home repairs
Local nonprofits request funds for accessibility and senior home modifications
Housing authority seeks $75,000 to expand transitional family housing
9th Street Missionary Baptist Church plans new supportive housing complex
Developers pitch $350,000 request for mixed-income neighborhood
Cohen-Esrey restructures funding request for 94-unit downtown senior housing
Flint Hills Holdings Group seeks funding for two affordable housing developments
Private developers propose major mixed-use project for North Lawrence
Lawrence tenants request funding for renter advocacy and education
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Lawrence Tenants, a local renters' rights advocacy group recently granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, requested funding from the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to hire two full-time educators. Organizer Vince Munoz stated the funds would support community engagement initiatives, including a tenant education series, which aim to establish a shared set of facts around land use and affordable housing. The organization, which previously served over 1,200 tenants in the first three quarters of its 2025 award, also plans to use the funding to inform renters of their rights and encourage civic engagement with the city.
Housing Stabilization Collaborative pitches rent and utility assistance
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Kan. — Douglas County's Housing Stabilization Collaborative asked the Affordable Housing Advisory Board to fund emergency rent and utility assistance, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of keeping residents in their current affordable units. Douglas County Human Services Program Manager Kristen Egan highlighted that 100 percent of the requested funds go directly to landlords and utility companies, as partner agencies process applications without compensation. Egan noted the collaborative recently implemented a prioritization tool in place of a lottery system to better support vulnerable populations, including single parents and individuals with disabilities.
Lawrence Habitat for Humanity seeks support for critical home repairs
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Lawrence Habitat for Humanity presented a funding request to support its critical home repair program, which tackles large-scale projects like roof replacements and HVAC installations for low-income homeowners. Assistant Director Stacie Schroeder explained that the organization averages $15,000 per project, allowing families to remain in their homes safely rather than facing displacement. The program currently has a waitlist of 71 households in need of urgent repairs, addressing a significant community need for maintaining aging housing stock.
Local nonprofits request funds for accessibility and senior home modifications
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Independence, Inc. and the Friends of the Senior Resource Center presented parallel requests for Affordable Housing Trust Fund allocations to perform accessibility modifications and minor home repairs for elderly and disabled residents. Daniel Brown, core services manager at Independence, Inc., emphasized the need for wheelchair ramps and accessible showers for residents earning below 80 percent of the area median income. Meanwhile, a representative of the Friends of the Senior Resource Center focused on safety-related repairs — such as water lines, HVAC systems and broken windows — to help low-income seniors safely age in place and avoid costly medical emergencies.
Housing authority seeks $75,000 to expand transitional family housing
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Kan. — The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority requested $75,000 to support its New Horizons family housing program, which provides up to 24 months of rental assistance and case management to families experiencing homelessness. Gallal Obeid, vice president of program operations, noted the program currently has 26 families on its waitlist, the vast majority of which are headed by single mothers. The requested funds, which match a $75,000 commitment from Douglas County, would house an additional six to seven families while they work toward securing permanent housing vouchers.
9th Street Missionary Baptist Church plans new supportive housing complex
LAWRENCE, Kan. — The 9th Street Missionary Baptist Church's nonprofit arm, The Hope Project, proposed demolishing an aging fourplex to construct a new six-unit supportive housing complex for families enrolled in the Family Promise of Lawrence program. The new facility will include four two-bedroom and two three-bedroom units, with two ground-floor units designated as Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant. The project targets households earning below 30 percent of the area median income, aiming to address a critical shortage of housing for extremely low-income families experiencing housing instability.
Developers pitch $350,000 request for mixed-income neighborhood
LAWRENCE, Kan. — SENT Inc. and Tenants to Homeowners requested $350,000 to support the development of 24 affordable ownership homes as part of the 44-home Holcom Villas mixed-income neighborhood project. SENT executive director Johnathan Sublet outlined the mixed-income neighborhood concept, which will place the homes in a community land trust with a 99-year ground lease to ensure long-term affordability. The targeted homes are designed for buyers earning between 80 percent and 120 percent of the area median income, aiming to prevent concentrated poverty while providing entry-level homeownership opportunities.
Cohen-Esrey restructures funding request for 94-unit downtown senior housing
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Cohen-Esrey Development Group requested $500,000 to help finance a six-story, 94-unit affordable senior housing complex at 711 New Hampshire St. Jack Brenton, development director at Cohen-Esrey, noted the project, which will cater to seniors earning between 30 percent and 80 percent of the area median income, has already secured state and federal low-income housing tax credits. Brenton added that the design has been updated to include a second elevator in response to prior community and board feedback, and the requested city funds make up roughly 1.6 percent of the project's overall capital stack.
Flint Hills Holdings Group seeks funding for two affordable housing developments
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Tony Krsnich, developer for Flint Hills Holdings Group, presented requests for a $360,000 grant for the East Heights development and a $400,000 grant for New Hampshire Lofts II, along with fee waivers for each project to ensure competitiveness for state tax credits. The East Heights project proposes preserving a historic school building on Haskell Avenue and adding 12 new three-bedroom duplexes for families. Concurrently, the New Hampshire Lofts II project would bring 24 new affordable apartments and eight market-rate units, with live-work spaces on the ground floor, to a vacant lot in downtown Lawrence.
Private developers propose major mixed-use project for North Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Attorney Patrick Watkins presented the Locust Street Redevelopment project on behalf of developer Jon Davis and architect Paul Werner, seeking a $16,500 per-unit subsidy to incorporate 21 affordable housing units into a larger North Lawrence mixed-use development. The project features residential units spread across multiple buildings, alongside commercial space and a rail-car restaurant concept. Watkins framed the request as a rare opportunity for the city to partner with private, for-profit developers to expand affordable housing outside of traditional state tax-credit projects.
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