Breaking down barriers

Advocating for Homeownership

At Habitat KC, we believe that everyone deserves a safe and affordable place to call home.

Alongside government agencies, non-profits, and neighborhoods, we’re working toward one goal: safe, decent, affordable housing for all. When we bring partners and community together to advocate for solutions, our impact multiplies.

Habitat KC is non-partisan. We advocate locally, at the state level in Kansas and Missouri, and nationally in partnership with affiliates across the country.

Habitat KC’s Policy Priorities

Habitat KC advocates on the federal, state, and local levels. Through advocacy, we build relationships with lawmakers and create new opportunities for homeownership throughout the greater Kansas City area.

Supporting local implementation of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

Not all of the implementation is taking place at the federal level. Many provisions within the package include support for local governments who have demonstrated commitment to housing. Habitat KC will work with our local government partners to ensure we are all ready for these changes.

Streamlining approvals

Lengthy and uncertain approval processes drive up costs and discourage smaller developers.

Making more missing middle housing possible

Missing Middle Housing is a range of house-scale buildings with multiple units—compatible in scale and form with detached single-family homes—located in a walkable neighborhood.

Learn more about missing middle housing at https://missingmiddlehousing.com

Increasing the affordable homeownership supply

We support policies to lower costs and improve the feasibility of building and rehabilitating affordable starter homes to expand homeownership opportunities for households of all backgrounds.

Support lasting affordability models such as Community Land Trusts through changes in the state appraisal statute.
Seek modernization of financial resources and programs to increase access to flexible capital and long-term financing for not-for-profit affordable housing
development.
Continue investment in affordable home construction and preservation through KHRC programs.
Support reform at the local and state levels of zoning, land-use regulations, and development processes to make it easier to build affordable homes.
Improve access to land and reduce taxes and fees for building affordable housing

Track Legislation

Ensuring equitable homeownership access

Habitat advocates for policies that reduce financial barriers, expand credit access, enhance housing voucher usability and revise tax incentives to promote affordable homeownership for all.

Support and expand programming for down payment assistance, such as the First-Time Homebuyer Program.
Support Home Loan Guarantee for Rural Kansas

Track Legislation

Improving homeownership resilience

Habitat supports policies that help low-income homeowners attain critical home repairs, property tax relief, affordable insurance, weatherization upgrades, and intergenerational home retention to protect wealth and stability for future generations.

Continue funding through KHRC to help low-income homeowners make necessary home repairs.
Continue and expand property tax relief for low-income homeowners and seniors.
Ensure homeowner’s insurance remains affordable and available.
Continue to enable intergenerational home and wealth retention.

Track Legislation

Building a healthy housing continuum

Habitat supports policies that address needs across the housing continuum and policies that ensure an enabling environment for affordable housing providers to pursue their missions.

Support policies that promote attainable and sustainable housing choices.
Strengthen the Kansas Residential Landlord Tenant Act (KRLTA) to respond to corporate private equity in Kansas rental housing market including supporting policies that ensure property owner transparency and accountability, eviction sealing and expungement, income and payment protection, and inspection and enforcement mechanisms to ensure Kansans get healthy, safe housing promised in the KRLTA.

Track Legislation

Reforms to the Medicaid Estate Recovery practices in Missouri

To better protect low-income families and preserve intergenerational wealth.

We seek to advance public policy by reforming Missouri’s Medicaid Estate Recovery Program to better protect low-income families and preserve intergenerational wealth.

Specifically, we advocate for reforms to Missouri’s estate recovery statutes that establish an undue hardship exemption—bringing the state in line with many others—or exempt a primary residence from estate recovery when it has been transferred through a beneficiary deed.

Create a federal homeownership supply accelerator

The Accelerator Would:

- Establish a new source of flexible financial assistance solely dedicated to the development of homes for ownership.
- Support activities such as property acquisition, new home construction and rehabilitation, and assistance to cover the gap between the price at which a home sells for and the price the homebuyer can afford.
- Be available to both nonprofit and for-profit home builders. Support the production of homes at prices affordable to low- and moderate-income homebuyers.
- Aim to reach a wide range of communities across the nation and narrow gaps for populations and communities that trail average homeownership rates in their states.

Provide robust funding for vital housing and community development federal programs in the FY2026 budget and finalize it in a timely manner

Transportation, Housing and Urban Development bill:
- Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) at no less than $20 million
- HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) at no less than $1.5 billion
- Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing Program at no less than $50 million
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration bill:
- USDA Section 502 Direct Loan Program at no less than $1.26 billion
Financial Services and General Government bill:
- CDFI Fund at no less than $324 million
Labor, Health, and Human Services, and Education bill:
- AmeriCorps at no less than $1.291 billion

Support implementation of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act

The final package that became law in July includes over 50 provisions aimed at addressing the housing shortage across the United States. Many of these provisions include ambitious timelines for implementation and some require funding to be appropriated. Habitat will continue to monitor implementation and support our local, state, and federal partners with implementation in areas that advance our mission.

Advocacy Action

Join the movement of Habitat supporters advocating for homeownership.

Midterm elections are this year, and your vote is your voice. No matter where you live, there are important elections taking place at all levels of government. The General Election is Tuesday, November 3rd. Learn more about the candidates or issues on your ballot before you vote.

Kansas Ballot

Missouri Ballot

Advocacy Action

Join the movement of Habitat supporters advocating for homeownership.

Kansas Ballot

Missouri Ballot