In response to the growing need for affordable housing, the City of Wichita allocated $5 million to invest in affordable housing through the creation of the Affordable Housing Fund.
The goal of the AHF is to improve the quality of existing housing stock while expanding quality affordable housing options and promoting neighborhood stability in Wichita’s core.
The program will develop safe, healthy and affordable housing options for income-qualified residents.
The City will issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) in early May that will allow qualified applicants to submit offers to:
• Purchase available units within the pilot areas
• Propose a per-unit scope of work for necessary renovations of existing affordable housing units
• Request up to $40,000 per housing unit for purchase or renovation
• Request Project Based Voucher assistance
All units purchased and rehabilitated through the AHF must be utilized as affordable housing upon completion of rehabilitation and be accessible to low to moderate income individuals and families.
The focus of he AHF serves Wichita’s minority communities, who are disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity.
Applications will be due in late June 2024, and awards will be announced in late 2024 after being reviewed and scored by the Affordable Housing Review Board (AHRB) and then presented to Council for approval.
Those submitting proposals for the Affordable Housing Fund program must demonstrate that they have the ability and capacity to conduct the necessary work based on successful completion of similar projects, as well as past experience utilizing local, state or federal government-sponsored funding.
More information is available at wichita.gov/282/Affordable-Housing-Fund. Applicants may request to be notified about the RFP, status updates and milestone events by emailing housingdevelopment@wichita.gov.