Mt.Carmel Redevelopment Corporation is designated as a Communty – Based Housing Development Organization (CHDO). A “CHDO” (pronounced “CHO-DOE”) is a special status which the government grants to nonprofit community organizations engaged in housing development activities that benefit low and moderate income families.  As such, MCRC is committed to maintaining accountability to low-income community residents by: (1) Reserving at least one-third of its governing board’s membership for residents of low-income neighborhoods, other low-income community residents, or elected representatives of low-income neighborhood organizations. (2) Providing a formal process for low-income program beneficiaries to advise the organization in its decisions regarding the design, location, development, and management of affordable housing.

Mt. Carmel Redevelopment is a member of the Wyandotte County Homeless Coalition and the Wyandotte County Emergency Assistance Coalition. The organization plays a major role in the Kansas City, Kansas Continuum of Care. Through its Community Outreach department, MCRC receives referrals from area shelters, 43 agencies that make-up the Wyandotte County Emergency Assistance Coalition, Outreach Caseworkers, currently funded by HUD, churches and the homeless themselves.

MCRC has been designated as a Promise Site. MCRC was one of “Kansas City’ Promise” initial Promise Makers in 1998, when the community pledged to make the concerns of children, youth and their families a priority. MCRC joined others in the area in the commitment to make sure that all metro area children have access to the resources they need to succeed in life.

Our uniqueness lies in the fact that the CDC has united community revitalization, or the brick and mortar aspect of its community redevelopment corporation, with its human services. MCRC has a matrix of programs to carry out its mission. Components of the organization accentuate one another, working in concert to accomplish the master plan, each having its own niche in holistic service delivery to the community.

The staff and board of MCRC, as many visionary leaders realize, assert that business vitality is not only important in its own right, but economic vitality works to anchor, reinforce, leverage and sustain the success encompassing all other efforts. Job and income opportunities are the results of sustained economic growth energized by a robust business climate. Additionally, but not less important, higher education achievement levels and positive health attributes spiral upward. Conversely, without a healthy business base and economic opportunities, social investments are hard-pressed to realize a return on investment.

We will continue our tireless pursuit to attain vibrant and safe, healthy neighborhoods.