Voucher-Friendly Housing in Kansas City

HAKC serves Kansas City, Missouri, operating public housing communities — such as Theron B. Watkins, Guinotte Manor, Riverview, and Brush Creek Towers — along with the Housing Choice Voucher program. Rent in HAKC public housing is income-based, set at roughly 30% of adjusted household income.

HAKC maintains separate waitlists for public housing, Project-Based Vouchers, and the Housing Choice Voucher program. As of recent notices HAKC has been accepting applications for public housing and Project-Based Vouchers while the Housing Choice Voucher list has been closed to new applicants — this changes over time, so check current status at hakc.org before applying. Paper applications can be completed in person at the HAKC office. Never pay to apply.

Kansas City renters lost source-of-income protection in 2025. The city previously had an ordinance barring landlords from refusing a tenant based on a lawful source of income such as a Housing Choice Voucher, but Missouri House Bill 595 — signed in July 2025 — preempts and nullifies those local ordinances statewide and expressly allows landlords to decline Section 8 vouchers. In practice this means a private landlord in Kansas City may now legally refuse your voucher, and Missouri has no statewide protection to fall back on. Federal Fair Housing protections still apply: a landlord may not refuse you based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. Because this law changed recently, it is worth confirming the current situation with a Kansas City legal aid provider.

Apply through the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri (HAKC) at hakc.org when waitlists are open, or in person at 3822 Summit Street. Rent is based on income (about 30% of adjusted household income); eligibility is generally limited to households at or below local income limits. Call HAKC at (816) 968-4100. Applications are free — never pay to apply.