by Stefania Lugli/The Journal
Wichita City Council members vocalized support toward securing sustainable funding for the city’s Affordable Housing Fund Thursday night at the second annual Nehemiah Assembly. The Sedgwick County Commission Chair also committed his support to expanding the city’s municipal ID program to all county residents.
The assembly, hosted by Justice Together, a grassroots coalition of interfaith communities, announces the organization’s policy pursuits. Last year, the group asked officials to commit to the municipal ID program – which launched this spring – and work on sustainable funding for the multi-agency center, Wichita’s year-round homeless services center known as the MAC.
The ID program provides homeless residents with photo identification that they can use to secure a job or assistance. The MAC is an effort to ensure that homeless residents have a year-round place to shelter and access resources.
Donna Goltry, co-chair of the affordable housing steering committee, said that Justice Together members held listening sessions over the fall to decide the group’s new policy goals. Over 100 members formed a research committee and met with experts and officials.
“We ask that question: what keeps you up at night? Again and again, housing struggles emerged,” Goltry said. “What we learned was staggering. We learned that our community has a 50,000 home shortage, equivalent to the entire housing stock of Olathe. This crisis drives up prices, threatens our future and it touches so many of us.”
City council members Maggie Ballard, Mike Hoheisel and Becky Tuttle were on stage at the event to address the affordable housing fund. The fund was opened for applicants in 2024 with $5 million of ARPA funds to improve the quality of existing housing stock, provide a 0% interest forgivable loan for first-time homebuyers and mandate long-term affordability requirements for renters.
Each council member was asked to meet monthly with Justice Together to review policies for the affordable housing fund and secure sustainable funding of at least $10 million per year for it, introduced by the end of fiscal year 2026.
“I will absolutely do my very best,” Ballard said, when prompted to say “yes” or “no” at the podium. “10 million is a huge ask, but we have an incredible community. I think between nonprofits and other entities that we can absolutely get there if we all work together.”
Hoheisel said he would do everything in his power to make the group’s request a reality. He noted that President Donald Trump’s newly released draft of the federal budget would dramatically cut housing and homelessness services. The Administration is proposing a 43% decrease to HUD’s rental assistance programs and further cuts to community development grants (which the city is using to support MAC operations), home investment programs and other homelessness initiatives.
“Reach out to your Congressmen. Reach out to your senators. Please let them know that these programs are vital, because if that happens, that’s an even bigger hole we have to overcome,” Hoheisel said.
County Commission Chair not willing to commit on some demands
Lory Mills, co-chair of the homelessness steering committee at Justice Together, reminded the audience of the successful initiation of a Wichita-wide ID program for homeless community members to more easily access an I-9 eligible photo ID, which helps individuals establish their eligibility to work.
Mills pushed county officials to expand the program beyond Wichita’s borders, saying that that was Justice Together’s initial pursuit.
“When we reminded the county commissioners of the need for a countywide ID, we heard the argument that this is just a Wichita issue, that the city ID is enough. But tonight, people from across the county are here to say otherwise,” Mills said. “I know firsthand that homelessness isn’t confined to Wichita. People are couch surfing, living in cars or are unhoused in every corner of Sedgwick County. For those facing or at risk of homelessness, an ID is often their key to regaining stability.”
Sedgwick County Commissioner Ryan Baty was the sole county representative. Justice Together leaders said commissioners Stephanie Wise and Pete Meitzner were invited but did not attend.
Baty said he was fully committed to making a low-barrier photo ID available to all county residents, implemented by Justice Together’s proposed deadline of December 31.
“I’m committed because it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “We thought we checked the boxes. The city of Wichita took the lead. We were at the table, but it’s quite apparent there are some gaps and there are some opportunities to make sure that we can have a barrier that’s so low, everyone in the county can access a municipal ID.”
Baty said the city had to take the lead on the program because they have access to the Homeless Management Information System, a database used to coordinate assistance for homeless residents, so it had to be housed within the city.
“I will get in the room and do the very best I can for this community. I will commit to making sure everyone that needs an ID can access it.”
Valerie Black Turner, co-chair of the steering committee on homelessness, said that homelessness needs a focused, aggressive response to alleviate it.
“Recently, some stakeholders and folks from the county have said the best the county can do is coordinate services through the MAC, which they say is worth more than any cash contribution. However, let us be clear, this kind of scarcity mindset must be left behind if we’re serious about solving homelessness in our community,” she said.
Turner suggested that county officials coordinate on-site medical and COMCARE services to reduce ambulance rides and 911 calls to the MAC, which would provide long-term results and savings, citing The Journal’s previous reporting of the success of an on-site triage team at another downtown homeless resources center.
With the estimated decrease in county costs from less emergency medical calls from an on-site medical team, Turner said officials could leverage those savings into an annual commitment towards the MAC’s operating budget.
Baty said the commission could not commit to that.
“The reason being that we’re working with the MAC board right now and they have a different request from us,” Baty said.
Turner again made the ask. “Do you agree saving lives is worth providing $500,000 to move us from managing homelessness to ending homelessness?”
“There is not a dollar that you can put on somebody’s life. And this is about saving lives,” Baty responded, adding that the county put $25 million towards a new mental health hospital and devoted another $20 million into a new COMCARE crisis center.
“Here’s my commitment. I will be in the room. I’ll show up. I’ll be at the table. I’ll listen and I will advocate. I simply have to wait on the MAC board to give the county direction, because we’re going to be there in a big way.”