Wichita City Council members have endorsed a letter to Kansas Governor Laura Kelly to ask for state funding to help address homelessness in the community, but two Council members had concerns about a policy issue that was included in the letter.

The letter is asking for $50 million to be included in the state budget to address infrastructure needs. The funding would help with a $22 million gap in funding for a Multi-Agency Center that Wichita is working to develop. Sedgwick County Commissioners have endorsed the letter and county officials have been working in a partnership with the city on the issue.

Council members Bryan Frye and Jeff Blubaugh raised concerns about a paragraph included in the letter that asks the Legislature to support action that will address barriers to housing. That involves issues like source-of-income discrimination and sealing civil eviction records after a set period. Frye said the Council has not discussed these issues as a policy and they have not been included in the city’s legislative agenda for 2024. Council member Brandon Johnson said he supports having those issues in the letter to the governor. He said the city has had so many issues with property managers and landlords choosing not to work with people who have housing choice vouchers. Johnson said a record of eviction can also make it difficult for people to find housing. He said the Council should address the issue of source-of-income discrimination, similar to actions taken by Lawrence and Kansas City, Missouri.

The Council vote to endorse the letter was 5-2, with Frye and Blubaugh voting no.