Housing assistance in Kansas

Single mothers across the globe find it more and more challenging to make ends meet, especially when it comes to housing. There are tons of programs available to help out single moms, however finding them can be a bit of hassle. That said, this article focuses on housing resources across the state of Kansas.

Kansas Housing Assistance Program

The Kansas Housing Assistance Program is targeted at homebuyers. It focuses on providing assistance to first-time home buyers. The benefits of this program include a fixed rate mortgage loan for a maximum period of 30 years and a grant to assist buyers with up to 5% of the down payment. The following are some of the criteria to meet in order to be eligible for the program:

• Your maximum income should not exceed $120 400 per annum
• Your credit score should be a minimum of 660 for FHA loans, and 640 for VA, USA-RA and conventional loans.You can find out more at https://www.kshap.org/

Emergency Solutions Grant

The Emergency Solutions Grant is a body of multiple service providers collaborating to provide funding assistance to homeless residents or those on the verge of becoming homeless.  The program is funded by the department of housing and urban development, as well private and non-profit agencies across the region.  Single moms will find this program to be efficient and beneficial.

To get information on eligibility and how to apply, visit: https://kshousingcorp.org/homeless-services/emergency-solutions-grant/Public

The Federal Home Loan Bank Down Payment Assistance Program

There are several hurdles that you can encounter when trying to purchase your first home and one of these bottlenecks is the initial down payment. To lift some weight off of struggling individuals, the state of Kansas provides assistance of up to $8000 to eligible applicants. Read more on this at: https://www.fha.com/grants/kansas-federal-home-loan-bank-wyandotte-county

 Housing Authority

The Public Housing Authority focuses on providing housing at affordable prices to families and individuals with low and moderate income.

To be eligible for the public housing authority assistance, you meet the following criteria:

• Your annual gross income should not exceed the maximum income stipulated by the public housing authority.
• You need to go through a background check
• You need to either be a US citizen or have other immigration papers in order
• You must not have debts with utility bodies, former landlords and housing authorities.
• You must not have a criminal record

To get more details, visit: http://www.bonnersprings.org/258/Public-Housing-Authority

Temporary Financial Assistance Program

The American Legion Department of Kansas assists various residents across the state through its specialised program; the Temporary Financial Assistance Program.  The program offers aid in various forms and applicants go through a background investigation and thereafter their needs are thoroughly analysed to determine whether they qualify for the aid.

You can get additional information on this website: https://www.legion.org/financialassistance

Low Income Energy Assistance Program

The Low Income Energy Assistance Program is funded by the federal government. Its objective is to assist qualifying households in paying their domestic energy bill. It’s worth noting that the LIEAP only covers a portion of this bill, through a one-time yearly payment.

The program offers varying benefits to different candidates, additionally; candidates need to be eligible for the program.

See more about the LIEAP at: http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Pages/EnergyAssistance.aspx

The Kansas Eviction Prevention Program

As a result of the pandemic, many tenants across the globe are struggling to pay rent. The Kansas Eviction Prevention Program is a program funded by the CARES Act and its purpose is to help tenants who are struggling to meet their monthly rent during the COVID crisis. If you’re eligible and your application is approved, the program will assist you in paying your rent for up to nine months. The maximum that they can assist you with is $5000. Reach out at: https://kshousingcorp.org/eviction-prevention-program/

The Kansas Tenant Based Rental Assistance Program

An increasing number of families and individuals across the state of Kansas are unable to keep up with rent payments and other expenses. To solve this issue, the Tenant Based Rental Assistance Scheme assists residents in the Kentucky area in paying not only their monthly rent, but also their security deposits and utility bills. More information on the can be found at: https://kshousingcorp.org/renters/tenant-based-rental-assistance/

Section 8 Housing

There are more or less 450 landlords who take part in the Section 8 Program that aims to help low income to moderate households with renting houses or apartments from landlords in the private sector.

As an eligible participant of the section 8 program, you’d only pay 30 to 40 of your total rent and utilities.

To apply for the program, visit: https://www.tha.gov/section-8/

HumanKind Ministries

The Humankind Ministries is a non-profit religious group with the sole purpose of providing assistance to struggling or homeless individuals and families. They supply long-term housing, basic needs, human empowerment and community development in various parts of Kansas with a special focus on Wichita.

Read more about the Humankind Ministries at: https://www.humankindwichita.org/our-work/

Mt.Carmel Community Outreach Ministries

Currently homeless residents can find shelter through the Mt. Carmel Community Outreach. Additionally, the non-profit organization has a transitional living program for individuals and families who are no longer safe in their current homes and don’t have any other safe alternatives.

Section 504 Home Repair Program

As its name suggests, this program gives out grants and other forms of assistance to enable low-income homeowners, including single moms and the elderly, to repair, refurbish and remove hazards from their home.

The following are the qualifying criteria for this program:

• You must be 62 years or older to qualify for a grant
• Your annual family income should be about 50% lower than the average income in your area
• You need to be the owner of the house in particular and you should be occupying that house
• You can’t obtain affordable credit from other sources

For more information on this program, see https://www.rd.usda.gov/programs-services/single-family-housing-programs/single-family-housing-repair-loans-grants/ks

The Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority

The Kansas City Kansas Housing Authority works to not only eliminate economic instability in the region of Kansas but it also works to provide safe, good-quality housing to low and moderate income individuals and families. The program partners with community services and agencies in order to promote economic growth and safer living conditions.

You can read more on this program at http://www.kckha.org/about-kckha.html