Funds available for rental assistance through Wyandot Center

Effective Dec. 1, Wyandot Center will begin accepting applications for temporary rental assistance through a grant awarded to the community mental health center by Kansas Housing Resources Corporation (KHRC).

Wyandot Center is one of 13 agencies designated to receive funds from KHRC for Tenant Based Rental Assistance TBRA. Wyandot Center received a $70,000 grant.

Sherrie Watkins-Alvey, senior director of housing and employment services, said to be eligible persons must be Wyandotte County residents who are at or below 60 percent of the area median income, and the head of the household or spouse must be a person with a psychiatric disability certified by a physician. Persons experiencing homelessness and those returning to the community after incarceration will receive preference for the TBRA funds.

Receiving services through Wyandot Center is not an eligibility requirement. There are no restrictions on the number of persons in the household. Households generally pay no more than 30 percent of their income for rent with assistance from this grant.

Starting Dec. 1, applications will be available at Wyandot Center, 1301 N. 47th St., Kansas City, Kan., from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Applicants can enter the building marked Adult Services and inquire at the reception desk. For more information or to receive an application by mail, contact Shevella Gatson, TBRA program administrator, Kim Wilson Housing, at 913-288-4211 or [email protected].

Funded through the federal HOME Investment Partnerships Program and administered by KHRC, Tenant Based Rental Assistance allows organizations like Wyandot Center to provide rental subsidies for income-eligible individuals. The subsidy acts as short-term, temporary housing assistance until other, more permanent housing subsidy funds become available. “TBRA funds help individuals obtain safe, decent, affordable housing in Wyandotte County,” Watkins-Alvey said.

For more information about Wyandot Center, visit www.wyandotcenter.org.