The Housing Alliance is a collaborative group of service providers, community organizations, public partners, and advocates working together to strengthen housing stability across our region. We believe housing is foundational to health, opportunity, and long-term well-being.
By bringing partners to the same table, the Housing Alliance helps communities move from isolated efforts to coordinated solutions. Together, we identify gaps, share information, improve referral pathways, and explore practical strategies that help individuals and families find and keep stable housing.
Whether the challenge is rising rent, limited housing supply, homelessness, eviction risk, or barriers to supportive services, the Housing Alliance exists to build stronger systems and more effective local responses.
Why housing matters
Safe, stable housing affects nearly every part of a person’s life. When people have a secure place to live, they are better positioned to maintain employment, support their children’s education, access healthcare, and build a stronger future.
But housing challenges rarely exist in isolation. They often intersect with poverty, mental health, transportation, childcare, disability, aging, and domestic violence. No one organization can solve these challenges alone. That is why collaboration matters.
The Housing Alliance creates space for partners to align efforts, share responsibility, and build a more connected housing response for our communities.
The pressure is real for local families
Across Harvey and Marion Counties, many households are working hard and still struggling to afford the basics. In 2023, more than 1 in 3 households in Harvey County and nearly 4 in 10 households in Marion County were below the ALICE Threshold. That means thousands of local households were living in poverty or earning too much to qualify as poor, but still not enough to cover essentials like housing, food, transportation, health care, and child care. Kansas overall saw 38% of households below the ALICE Threshold in 2023.
For families already living on the edge, housing instability is rarely caused by one issue alone. It is often connected to wages, rising costs, limited inventory, childcare challenges, transportation barriers, and other pressures. The Housing Alliance exists to help communities respond together instead of one organization carrying the burden alone.
What we do
Convene housing-focused partners for regular collaboration
Identify service gaps and emerging housing needs
Strengthen community referral pathways and coordination
Share resources, data, and best practices
Support local planning around homelessness and housing stability
Encourage cross-sector solutions involving nonprofits, local government, schools, healthcare, and community members
Elevate housing issues and advocate for practical, community-informed solutions
Our goals
Prevent housing crises before they become homelessness
Strengthen coordination among housing and service providers
Improve access to resources for individuals and families
Identify local housing gaps and opportunities
Support a more responsive and connected housing system
Build momentum for long-term housing solutions in our region
Get involved
Housing challenges are community challenges, and meaningful progress takes partnership. Whether you are a service provider, landlord, public agency, church, funder, business leader, or community advocate, there is a place for you in this work.
You can get involved by:
attending Housing Alliance meetings (email housing@uwhmc.org to join the mailing list!)
sharing resources and updates
helping identify housing barriers and opportunities
partnering on local solutions
supporting housing stability efforts through advocacy, funding, or collaboration