Argentine Neighborhood Development Association

Programs: Housing - the preservation and rehabilitation of existing housing stock in the argentine neighborhood of kansas city, kansas to provide decent affordable housing. In 2014 a vacant house was purchased and rehabbed. The entire house was painted inside, roof and other repairs, central air installed and updating transformed this older 2 bedroom house into a very attractive, comfortable place to live. Anda maintained 11 decent affordable homes in a rental or lease for purchase program during 2014. The lease for purchase program enables first time home buyers the opportunity to provide decent affordable housing for their families and build equity in a home after five years of leasing. The lease to purchase option includes: homebuyer education, and assistance with home maintenance while leasing the home. During 2014 anda worked on the development of 19 units of affordable senior housing. The historic simmons funeral home and ymca building will be the locations. State tax credits have been awarded for this project. This project is expected to be completed in 2015.

healthy lifestyles - this program was designed and implemented to encourage healthy food choices. This includes a community food council that will work with the grocery store management advising on the products and services the community needs. The food council offered free healthy cooking classes in the community in 2014. This is through an ongoing collaboration with university of kansas medical center for community health improvement. Anda believes healthy lifestyles are active lifestyles, so anda helps improve residents' health by making argentine more walkable and friendly to pedestrians and families. Anda has worked with public and private funding to replace more than $1 million in curbs and sidewalks and continues to do so in the community. Plans are in place to develop a walking trail near the new public safety campus that will be built in argentine.

summer youth program - the 2014 summer youth program, argentine ambassadors, was funded by the kansas city board of public utilities and youth ambassadors. It is designed to provide creative and educational activities that increase self-confidence and resilience in underserved, teenage youth. A total of 23 youths from argentine were ambassadors of the argentine community. Our ambassador program was made up of a diverse group of youth, aged 14-17, with varying social and academic abilities. For eight weeks the argentine ambassadors worked to tide the economic, academic summer slide by studying photography, documentary development, art, writing, life skills and soft job skills.