By Piper Pinnetti
The Wichita Journalism Collaborative is organizing candidate forums for the Sedgwick County Commission races in Districts 2 and 3.
The forums, set for the Alumni Auditorium at Friends University, will focus on housing issues within the commission’s purview. District 3 candidates Celeste Racette and Stephanie Wise will participate in the forum on Monday, Sept. 23, while District 2 candidates Sarah Lopez and Jeff Blubaugh are scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 24. Both forums start at 6 p.m.
When the collaborative hosted a listening session on housing earlier this year, participants who completed a post-event survey highlighted affordability issues, such as why housing and rents have been increasing, as a concern that called for additional coverage.
But homelessness, income issues, supply issues and quality of housing issues also ranked high.
Here are some of the concerns that a housing advocate and community member voiced in recent interviews that they hope the candidates will address.
Danielle Johnson, executive director of Wichita Habitat for Humanity, has seen firsthand the impact affordable housing can have on low-income families. Wichita Habitat for Humanity partners with families of modest means to help them achieve homeownership.
Johnson hopes the candidates consider policies that could ease the housing burden on the community.
“I think it’s important for our candidates and those already sitting in the seat to understand what we mean when we say ‘affordable housing,’ because there is an actual technical term, there are some numbers attached to that,” Johnson said. “So what is affordable housing in the first place? What does that mean to the county and the work that they’re doing in the housing space? How does that cross over with the other governmental bodies, like the city?”
Johnson also pointed out that different types of housing solutions, such as rental versus home ownership, require varied approaches.
“What affordable housing looks like in that space and ensuring that we know the difference between affordable housing for rental versus home ownership,” she said.
“I think sometimes we only talk about it from the lens of homelessness, and what we believe at Wichita Habitat is when you don’t have enough units of housing, that can drive your homeless numbers,” Johnson continued. “But how do we look at the full spectrum of affordability as it pertains to housing?”
(Disclosure: Lopez serves on the board of Wichita Habitat, but Johnson speaks frequently on housing issues and does not live in Lopez’s district.)
Cynthia Pizzini, a Wichita State University student focusing on marketing and real estate, wants to eventually develop sustainable and affordable housing across Wichita. She also weighed in on the issue, emphasizing the future housing needs in Sedgwick County.
“I think probably the first thing that they should consider is do they have enough housing, and not even for now, but thinking about the future,” Pizzini said. “People are really, really suffering because they do not have quality housing that’s affordable.”
With both candidates and advocates highlighting the growing housing crisis, the forums will serve as a platform to address community concerns ahead of the election.
Piper Pinnetti, a student at Wichita State University, is the Fall 2024 semester intern for the Wichita Journalism Collaborative