Congressman Cleaver Welcomes HUD Secretary Julián Castro on an Opportunity and Investment Community Tour in Kansas City, Mo

Today, Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II welcomed Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Julián Castro to Kansas City, Missouri. Congressman Cleaver, as Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, invited Secretary Castro to see firsthand the significant housing work being done in Missouri's Fifth District and to highlight the continued need for HUD support in future housing endeavors.

"As HUD celebrates its fiftieth anniversary, it is time to look back at the dividends that place-based investment can yield," said Congressman Cleaver. "Nowhere is this more evident than at Posada Del Sol and Villa Del Sol, in Kansas City, Missouri, where families and seniors can find an affordable, accessible, welcoming place to live. I will keep fighting for full funding for HUD programs like Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) and Supportive Housing for the Elderly (Section 202 Program), which have made such a difference here in Missouri's Fifth District, and around the country. Even as we look back, we look to the future to see what we can do to lessen income inequality, increase energy efficiency at home, bridge the digital divide in every neighborhood, and expand access to housing for all."

Congressman Cleaver and Secretary Castro will tour Villa Del Sol and Posada Del Sol Apartments. The tour is the latest stop on Secretary Castro's Opportunity and Investment Community Tour, which spans across the country to gain a better understanding of housing and urban development issues facing American communities. Through community development investments, affordable housing and skills training, HUD is working to ensure Americans living in low-income neighborhoods have the opportunity to thrive.

Westside Housing Organization, Inc., the manager of Posada Del Sol, is a private, not-for-profit corporation founded in 1973 by neighborhood residents who wanted the City to improve the physical conditions of their neighborhood and save houses from being torn down for highway construction.  Today, Westside Housing is one of the oldest and most respected community development corporations (CDC) in Kansas City, Missouri.  It is the only CDC in Kansas City, Missouri that includes a significant focus on serving the Latino community, advocating on a range of social, political and housing issues.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee, the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, and also a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. A high-resolution photo of Congressman Cleaver is available here.