Columbia, Boone County to host affordable housing summit this fall

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The City of Columbia and Boone County will be hosting an affordable housing summit in the fall, according to a City Council memo.

Columbia Housing and Neighborhood Services Director Becky Thompson said the summit is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 24, with a location still to be determined.

This will coincide with the completion of the Boone County Housing Study, which Thompson said is expected to be done in September or early October. She is hopeful to bring the consultant behind the study to the summit, as well.

"It's so important when we put our efforts toward having these studies done that when we get the information back from them that we have the opportunity to actually take it in together and talk about what the next steps might be as a community," Thompson said.

While details are still being ironed out, she said the first half of the day will likely be full of presentations from key stakeholders, while the second half of the day is filled with break-out discussions and planning next steps.

Thompson said the summit will be open to the public.

Boone County Community Services Department Deputy Director Kristin Cummins said the housing study shows there is a partnership between city and county leaders and said the summit will be a good time to bring everyone together to come up with a plan.

"I think we see a lot of momentum in our community with the housing study and then other reports that are being produced across the board with different city and county departments and other nonprofit organizations that see this as an issue and are wanting to do something about it in our community," Cummins said.

City and county leaders agree affordable housing is a problem on the national and local level.

Locally, Columbia Housing Authority CEO Randy Cole said there are currently around 1,400 households on the housing authority waitlist for help. He said housing is pivotal in being able to live an enriching life.

"Whenever people get into our housing, they immediately feel that stability in their household and this helps them move on into the next step that they need to move to," Cole said.

Monday's City Council memo outlines all of the efforts taken by the city and county to move toward more affordable housing including the housing study, federal assistance and discussing planning and zoning standards. It also mentions the city proposing the creation of an affordable housing trust fund in the 2025 fiscal year.

Thompson said while that trust fund is still being developed, it would likely be a combination of city-run programs while also making funds available for nonprofits or community groups that apply for them.

"The revenue in that fund would be dedicated and only able to be spent on affordable housing initiatives," Thompson said. "Now, how that money gets programmed out and allocated is something that we'll have to work through with city council and get feedback from the community."

Cole said this is something he's excited to see happen.

"To have a productive force in creating more affordable housing, there has to be public and charitable investment, so it's really exciting to see that," Cole said.