Kansas City Neighborhood Announces Successful Program Transitions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – August 31, 2007 – The Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance’s (KCNA) Board of Directors announced that the agency is in the final stages of transitioning its programs to assure their continued success.

For 27 years the Alliance has provided affordable housing, leadership and financial literacy training, and related programs to strengthen Kansas City’s neighborhoods, particularly those in the urban core. It has been heralded as one of Kansas City’s leading Community Development Corporations (“CDC’s”) and as a trailblazer in neighborhood leadership development.

“Through these years, our services have consistently evolved to respond to our changing community,” says Alliance Board Chairman Joe Hiersteiner. “In the past three years, however, the landscape of government and private funding for community development activities has changed.  As a result, our Board conducted a thorough review of our programs.  We looked carefully at the long term sustainability of the external funding needed to keep the Alliance independent.  After that review, the Board determined that the clear and responsible course of action is to preserve our programs and services to neighborhoods by ceasing active operations and finding new homes for our core programs.”

As of August 31, the Kansas City Neighborhood Alliance will cease active operations.  However, our work will continue.

• KCNA’s development of affordable housing and related work in the Vineyard Northwest neighborhood will be moving to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation of Greater Kansas City (GKC-LISC).

• KCNA’s Homebuyer Education and Financial Literacy programs will be moving to Neighborhood Housing Services  (“NHS”) of Kansas City, Missouri.

• KCNA’s-affordable rental properties will continue to be managed by Blue Hills Community Services.

• KCNA’s leadership development course scheduled to commence August 21, 2007 will proceed as scheduled.  The new home for the leadership programs will be a newly formed or existing CDC (Community Development Corporation).

Hiersteiner continued:  “We are extremely appreciative of the generosity of our funders, both private and government, and of the support from the City of Kansas City and our partner CDC’s.  All of these organizations are working with us to ensure a smooth transition and the continuation of our services to neighborhoods.  Although our life cycle as an independent agency is coming to an end, our Board is gratified that our tradition of excellent service to neighborhoods will continue through the organizations and people who will pursue and strengthen our programs and our work.”

"Because a strong city is built upon strong neighborhoods"

Please address all questions to:
Joe Hiersteiner, (816) 421-4460.