KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Dozens of real estate agents are working to fix up homes in the Lykins neighborhood this week. This is part of a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to “Rock the Block.”
Volunteers are doing yard work, painting and some general outdoor cleanup in the neighborhood
They’ll also be repairing windows, doors, porches, railings and stairs on homes.
The program is being stretched out to last all week to provide a safer work environment for volunteers during the pandemic.
“We inspire something in these people,” Tony Conant, president of the Kansas City Regional Association of Realtors, said. “Whenever they come home to their houses and it’s got a fresh coat of paint or the flower bed is redone, now they’ve got a nice storm door that closes instead of that one that always used to flap. It changes them on a fundamental level. They go off on their day wanting to do better. They want it better for other people and continue to spread the experience they felt.”
The goal is to provide some positive long term change for the neighborhood, which may result in higher property values. The Lykins neighborhood is seeing new construction for the first time in 10 years as a result of this effort.
Realtors have committed to spending more than $100,000 on affordable housing solutions in the metro area.