Kansas Spanish Speakers is currently in a waiting period as it pertains to its Recasa housing program.
Specifically, Spanish Speakers Founder Lelan Dains says they are hopeful to hear back from the Kansas Health Foundation on a potential $500,000 grant, which will provide the bulk of support for the program seeking to bring four new homes to the community on donated land from the Emporia Land Bank. Dains says Spanish Speakers is not just sitting idle and waiting for the news; he told KVOE they have been doing a large amount of work behind the scenes to prepare for if and when the grant is awarded so they can hit the ground running with development once the funding is secured.
While he is confident they should receive that allocation, Dains says in the event they don’t, the local non-profit is all in on the project and has alternate routes to pursue.
As KVOE News has reported over the last year, plans are to bring four modular fully furnished units to three lots south of Sixth Avenue and one south of South Avenue, which will require a small amount of prep work before the homes can be placed on them, although Dains says that work will be handled by the manufacturer of the homes. As previously mentioned, the homes will be fully furnished “down to the silverware” and will include three months of free internet courtesy of IdeaTek, with a 10×10 utility shed provided by Spanish Speakers.
Dains says the homes will come in two models.
The homes will be available to anyone to purchase with Dains noting to everyone with Dains noting there are no income restrictions, however, they are focusing on first-time home buyers with Dains explaining the project is not about just increasing the local housing inventory.
For more information, visit KansasSpanishSpeakers.org.
