Kansas City Family Fears Housing Cuts Amid Federal Downsizing

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Calvin Bentley remembers the feeling of liberation when he and his family moved into the West Bluff Townhomes in downtown Kansas City. After several nights spent in unstable hotel rooms, the Bentley family’s transition to public housing marked a significant shift in their lives.

“We were going from place to place, paying monthly leases and weekly payments just to have a roof over our heads,” Bentley said.

However, uncertainty now looms over their newfound stability as proposals from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) threaten cuts to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). These potential reductions could eliminate up to 50% of HUD’s workforce, impacting millions of low-income families reliant on federal assistance.

Symone Bentley voiced the pain of their housing struggle: “We spent many, many nights crying, praying.” The couple fears returning to a life of financial insecurity, where late-night gigs delivering for Door Dash and Amazon became their means of survival.

“If you really don’t have much housing, you probably don’t have much money to eat either,” Calvin Bentley explained. “It’s a domino effect of financial instability.”

Edwin Lowndes, director of the Kansas City Housing Authority, shares the Bentleys’ concerns. He echoes Musk’s sentiment about the necessity of fixing government inefficiencies but criticizes the drastic approach he perceives. “We should evaluate our objectives to find the most efficient and effective way to accomplish them,” Lowndes stated.

Lowndes oversees a program that utilizes HUD funds to assist over 8,000 families in Kansas City, preventing these families from facing homelessness. Yet, around 25,000 families remain on a waiting list for housing assistance.

According to HUD sources, the department had approximately 8,800 employees at the year’s start and has already experienced significant layoffs. A document obtained by NBC News suggests future cuts could bring the department’s rental assistance staff down from 1,529 to just 765 by mid-May.

A source familiar with the discussions indicated that these ongoing conversations aim to consolidate resources while maintaining service quality. HUD stated it is inventorying personnel and programs to ensure they effectively serve the public.

“HUD serves our most vulnerable and will continue to do so in the most efficient and effective way possible,” the department affirmed in a statement.

Lowndes remains cautiously optimistic that Congress will prevent severe cuts that could put vital assistance programs at risk. He believes, “There are enough voices on both sides to say this is a program that, while it has inefficiencies, is needed. We cannot just walk away.”

For the Bentleys, the possibility of losing their stable home is terrifying. Calvin Bentley desires broader access to assistance programs, stating, “There is hope. It shows that there are programs to help people who just need a little leg up.”