Events highlight celebration of redevelopment project at East Hills Village;
Missouri Attorney General to participate in basketball game

KANSAS CITY, Missouri – The YARCO Companies (Cliff Cohn, principal) will conduct re-opening ceremonies for East Hills Village, 7645 Monroe, in Kansas City at 2 p.m., April 12, 2001. The event is just one of several events scheduled for the afternoon. Events slated include:

• 1 p.m., Radio 810 personality, Career Seminar for youth

• 1:45 p.m., Grand Re-Opening Ceremony
• 2 p.m., Basketball Game in new gymnasium, featuring Attorney General Jay Nixon (playing) with local police and firemen. (MHDC General Counsel Ulysses "Deke" Clayborn is also tentatively scheduled to play).
• 3 p.m., Barbecue & Celebration (including local youth and families)

East Hills Village is a 110-unit redevelopment project funded through $2.75 million in tax-exempt bonds issued by MHDC from the Department of Economic Developments 1999 allocation. The rehab project also received $258,000 in both federal and state Housing Tax Credits.

The development received the 2001 Excellence in Affordable Housing Awards (Private Sector) goes to East Hills Village, in Kansas City, Missouri. Originally built in 1973, East Hills Village had become physically deteriorated over the years with drug and criminal activity problems. In 1998 the YARCO Company began to redevelop this community with the support of MHDC, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Bank of America and Enterprise Social Investment Corporation.

East Hills Village was redeveloped with many factors in mind especially extending the life of the property for many years and the desire to respond to the needs of its residents. A tremendous amount of physical renovation was performed at this development and a new 9,465 square foot management center and gymnasium was built. The new management center offers many services for residents including a community center, a computer-training lab with Internet access, laundry facilities and a food pantry.

YARCO learned there was a lack of availability of adult or youth related activities and programs in south Kansas City, so it began to develop programs on-site in partnership with many social service providers.

HUD’s Service Coordinator Program directly funds the salary and administrative costs for the Site Service Coordinator at East Hills Village. A grant from the Missouri Housing Trust Fund allows the Service Coordinator the opportunity to provide a variety of education programs and recreational activities at the development.

YARCO requested participation from local law enforcement in some of the activities at East Hills Village. The Police Athletic League (PAL) stationed at the development. The PAL program is designed to create a sense of community through education, life skills and recreation. The youth are required to participate in daily homework assistance and life skills classes and turn in their grade cards in order to be enrolled in the recreational part of this program. The PAL program offers daily positive contact with police officers and assists youth in developing peer relationships while teaching appropriate ways to recreate.

Another partnership that enhances East Hills Village was developed with the Kansas City Adult Basic Education (ABE) Center. Some adult residents expressed a desire to have GED classes on site. The East Hills Village service coordinator contacted several ABE instructors who agreed to come to East Hills Village to provide classes. The classes started this January and are held twice a week at the East Hills Village Community Center.

The Southeast 4-H Urban Youth Program provides on-site educational programs that focus on gardening, nutrition, self-esteem development, first aid and building entrepreneurial skills. The youth of East Hills Village are eager to start their own garden and perhaps a corresponding entrepreneurial venture similar to Friendship Village’s Sassy Salsa, another YARCO property. Other youth programs include the Boys & Girl Scouts, the after-school tutoring and mentoring program, arts and crafts classes and tennis lessons sponsored by the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department. All on-site programs and activities are offered at the new community center and gymnasium. The impact of these facilities and programs has been tremendous in the lives of the residents.

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