Homes in the Hood

A few months ago I was eating breakfast with a friend at a restaurant in Kansas City's Midtown. While eating breakfast and catching up with my friend we began to have a conversation with our server, Meghan. Our conversation began with how long she had been working at the restaurant, then moved on to family. Finally we began to talk about the needs within her community. Meghan, her husband, and their two kids live in Ivanhoe. She asked the question "How can we be surrounded by so many empty houses in my neighborhood, and there are so many homeless people on the street ?" I thought this was a great question, but we had no answer to give her that morning. She was right, there are hundreds of abandoned homes in the urban core of Kansas City.

Some homes have been torn down leaving vacant lots, resulting in overgrown bushes, areas of the city seeming abandoned, void of life and hope. Our new friend Meghan is currently renting a house in the Ivanhoe community. I asked her if she would stay in the area if she could buy her own home. She said yes. She would be willing to stay and invest in the community. She also said she would like to see more locally owned stores. Again, I agreed with her, but that is a conversation for another blog post.

 There are many abandoned homes that the city desires to get off their hands for a low cost. The reality that a person from this community could afford to buy, then pay to fix it up to be livable is unlikely. This is the challenge Stephanie and I see as we look for a home in this community. Not only do we have to have all the relational networks in place to get the home, we must also show that we have all the financial means to pay for a complete renovation of a house. I do see the importance of this process, but I also have more understanding of how a hard working mother like Meghan would struggle to own her own home in a city with hundreds of vacant houses.

In Kansas City there is hope for families like Meghan's who want to own their own home. As we continue this journey of looking for a home in the Ivanhoe community we are learning more and more about organizations that try to help families get to the point where they can own their own home. This is a good thing, but there are lots of other families who don't have the relational connections or financial resources.

After walking away from our talk with Meghan I couldn't help but wonder how a new church plant in that community could play a role in helping people own their own homes?

I guess we will have to wait and see.