There is only one resident on the entire 3500 block of Indiana but that is about to change thanks to Tikkun-KC, a nonprofit dedicated to renovating blighted urban housing for deserving homeowners. On Sunday, July 28, more than 20 volunteers from Congregation Beth Torah (CBT) helped to demolish the interior of the house at 3532 Indiana in preparation for a total renovation that will transform the blighted property into affordable housing.
Volunteers from CBT swung sledgehammers to remove sheetrock and hauled enough carpet and debris from the house to fill a full-size dumpster and dozens more bags of trash. The three bedroom, two bath house previously sat decaying and vacant along with the other properties on the block.
Tikkun-KC is working to transform the block where trash and rodent-filled houses and vacant lots rule. The house at 3532 Indiana is the first of several planned renovations on the block where Tikkun-KC will convert dangerous, blighted houses into beautiful residences housing homeowners who take pride in their neighborhood.
Tikkun-KC — a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose motto is “Repairing our corner of the world one house at a time” — is transforming Kansas City’s urban blighted neighborhoods by cost-effectively renovating dangerous houses, providing deserving low income individuals with an opportunity to become owners of affordable houses, and saving taxpayers thousands of dollars.
Tikkun-KC is able to renovate blighted houses so dangerous they were scheduled for demolition, saving taxpayers the $10,000-$12,000 cost of demolishing each house.
In addition to its renovations spurring private investors to renovate surrounding properties, Tikkun-KC impacts the neighborhood by fixing up the exteriors of nearby properties owned by long-time residents who cannot afford repairs, providing employment opportunities to local contractors and neighborhood residents, and is in the process of launching a training program for young workers to learn skilled trades.
Tikkun-KC was founded by long-time urban renovator Larry Myer, who believes that providing ownership of affordable housing is the key to resolving urban blight. Myer has 33 years’ experience renovating more than 1,500 Kansas City, Missouri, urban core houses and apartments.
Myer was inspired by a quote from Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson: “If you see what needs to be repaired and know how to repair it, then you have found a piece of the world that G-d has left for you to complete. But if you only see what is wrong and what is ugly in the world, then it is you that needs repair.”
Congregation Beth Torah provided volunteers to demolish the interior of the house because Tikkun-KC has been named as a beneficiary of its social justice program this year. The renovation will be completed by skilled tradesmen.
For more information about Tikkun-KC, visit tikkun-kc.org, email or call 816-384-1200.