Close to half of Kansans support building wider varieties of housing to help address a statewide affordability crisis according to the annual Kansas Speaks survey released Monday.
Yet few residents thought their communities are doing enough to adequately address housing issues.
Plans to build apartments near single-family neighborhoods run up against not-in-my-backyard opposition in urban locales such as Wichita and Johnson County. But statewide, most respondents, 62%, said they were comfortable living in a neighborhood with rental properties.
Changes that would encourage such arrangements also found support. About 48% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that local governments should ease up on neighborhood zoning restrictions to allow more small, multifamily dwellings.
Just 12% disagreed in the survey of 645 Kansas conducted by the Docking Institute of Public Affairs at Fort Hays State University. Another 33% neither agreed nor disagreed, while 2.2% didn’t know.
“People are supportive of high-density, mixed-use housing developments,” said Jian Sun, the Docking Institute’s assistant director and a political science professor at Fort Hays State. “They need it, and they think local government can do more to address housing issues.”
Only about 20% of respondents indicated their community adequately addresses housing issues. Nearly 37% disagreed, although 34% neither agreed nor disagreed, and nearly 9% said they didn’t know.
“People understand that you really need to ask for support from local government or from local eco devo (economic development) organizations to deal with housing issues. The private market is not enough,” in the respondents’ view, Sun said.
The survey also painted a picture of lower-income Kansans living on the brink amid rising costs for housing and other necessities.
While just 32% agreed or strongly agreed that they were insecure about their housing situation, few households reported being flush with cash. More than half of the poll’s respondents indicated they had one month or less of savings to cover all their monthly expenses. Fewer than 20% had six months of savings or more.
About 64% of Kansans making less than $35,000 a year reported having no savings for monthly expenses. Another 38% making between $35,000 and $74,999 and about 15% making $75,000 or more reported the same.
Like last year, concerns about housing costs are widespread but especially prevalent in households in lower- and middle-income households.
Most respondents reported paying between $500 and $1,500 a month in rent or mortgage payments. About 41% of respondents rented while 53% lived in a privately owned home. Nearly 6% lived with someone without paying rent.
Buying a new home is perceived as difficult. More than 60% of respondents said they would have difficulty buying a home in their community. Just under 60% say a lack of affordable homes to rent has a negative economic impact on their community.
Nearly 57% said a lack of affordable homes for buyers carries negative economic impacts where they live. Only 37% think there is sufficient housing available in their community.
Views on homeless encampments
As the city of Wichita weighs pursuing a “more aggressive” ordinance to address homeless encampments, the poll also found little support statewide for directing law enforcement to clean up such sites immediately.
Only about 28% of those polled expressed support for the immediate clean-up of homeless encampments. Nearly 49% of respondents thought that encampments should be allowed to continue on public land until another solution is found. Far fewer, about 5%, thought encampments should continue indefinitely on public land.
“It seems most people are selecting the middle option,” Sun said.
Nearly 58% also strongly or somewhat agreed that more government spending was needed in their community on services for the homeless. Just 14.5% disagreed.
The most likely candidate for that increased government spending, respondents said, is state government. Nearly 70% called for increased funding from that level while 64% called for increased federal funding. Another 54% favored increased local funding. Just 9% indicated government was not responsible.
The poll didn’t explore whether Kansans would support tax increases or shifting government funding from other areas to address homelessness. In fact, a common pattern in Kansas Speaks surveys is that respondents tend to want both more and less at the same time.
“When it comes to different types of services, people tend to want more governmental funding,” Sun said. “Once you get to the taxation part, people lean toward smaller government.”
While Kansans want more government resources for homelessness, they are much less sure about the root causes of homelessness, as well as policies that prioritize housing the homeless before people access mental health services, addiction treatment and medical care.
About 32% see a lack of affordable housing as the root cause of homelessness. But roughly 22% see mental health issues and addictions as the primary driver. Another nearly 13% identified personal responsibility as the root cause. Less than 1% blame domestic violence, while nearly 12% said they don’t know.
Meanwhile, the Housing First model, which emphasizes taking care of basic necessities for the homeless such as food and shelter first, is gaining acceptance among social services agencies.
But only about 19% of survey respondents said housing should definitely come first. Nearly 16% disagreed. About 62% said that the answer depended on the person’s overall situation. Another 3% were not sure.
Siting of shelters gets muted response
The location of homeless shelters has been a topic of debate in multiple Kansas communities. Wichita is poised to open an emergency winter shelter in a converted elementary school around Thanksgiving. The site will eventually house a year-round multiagency center in the historic Midtown neighborhood, whose residents have expressed concerns.
In September, Lenexa officials denied a permit for a homeless shelter over fears that the building would concentrate negative impacts and create a year-round “homeless services hub.”
The Kansas Speaks survey suggests that most Kansans would feel comfortable having a homeless shelter within two miles of their home. Only about 28% of respondents said they would be not at all comfortable with a shelter nearby.
Nearly 26% indicated they’d be OK with a shelter one to two miles away. Nearly 20% said they’d be comfortable with a shelter within two blocks. Another 13% would want it more than two blocks away but be OK if it was within a half mile. Less than one mile away but at least a half mile away was within the comfort zone for another 14%.
About 26% of respondents also indicated that downtown was the best place to locate a shelter in their communities. Nearly 11% said a neighborhood, close to 7% said a business district and 7% said another location. Almost half, 49%, were unsure about the best location or unaware of any homeless persons in their communities.
The 2024 Kansas Speaks fall survey was conducted from Sept. 26 through Oct.16. The panel of 645 adult residents, 18 and older, was conducted online. The Journal worked with the Wichita Journalism Collaborative to help develop questions for and cosponsor the survey.
The full report can be accessed on the Docking Institute’s website.
This article was produced by The Journal as part of the Wichita Journalism Collaborative (WJC). The WJC is a partnership of 11 media and community partners, including KMUW.
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