Community Consortium

The Nurture KC Community Consortium is a partnership of community members, Healthy Start program participants and other stakeholders in Kansas and Missouri who work to integrate health and social service systems and address social determinants of health to decrease disparities in infant mortality and poor perinatal health outcomes. It is how we support our community and program participants.

Through an environmental scan and community needs assessment the Consortium’s focus has been narrowed down to Housing. The Consortium’s desire is that all people in the Kansas City metro area have fair access to safe, affordable, healthy, and reasonable housing.

The Consortium will work toward this by:

• Focusing on the root causes of housing instability.
• Supporting work that increases access to affordable housing.
• Advocating for policy changes at the local, state, & federal levels.
• Connecting community members with housing programs.
• Providing information & education to help families make informed decisions.

The Consortium recently was called to take action in opposition to HB 595 and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding cuts. HB 595 would remove local control over renter protections and limit the ability of Missouri cities and towns to respond to housing challenges in their communities, specifically those renters using Housing Choice Vouchers, limiting efforts to ensure stable and affordable housing options. HUD is a critical agency for housing, community development, and homelessness services. If proposed cuts go through, the consequences will be catastrophic for the families that we serve.

If you would like to join the Community Consortium, please contact our Community Engagement Director, Ahkeya Howard. Email: ahoward@nurturekc.org T: (816) 381-2528.