Hawthorne Place Apartments

Hawthorne Place Apartments, the largest affordable housing community in Missouri, comprises 128 buildings and 745 apartments that are home to over 2,000 residents. Hawthorne Place offers much needed stability and rental subsidies to many families containing hundreds of children.

POAH's purchase of Hawthorne Place broke new ground in preservation policy. While Hawthorne Place fit solidly into the rules for HUD "mark-to-market" incentives, which would have increased rent subsidies to meet actual operating costs, Congress had outlawed the participation of any LIHPRA-refinanced deals from receiving mark-to-market assistance. With assistance from Missouri Senator Christopher Bond, POAH was able to obtain an exception for Hawthorne Place.

With additional funds allowed, POAH leveraged sufficient state and other dollars to build a 22,000 s.f. David Stanley Community Center in 2007 on site that houses the Kansas City Boys and Girls Club, a food pantry, a computer lab and the Financial Opportunity Center designed to help families increase their earnings, and build savings through the Family Self-Sufficiency Program -  a five-year, voluntary, asset-building tool that enables HUD-assisted families to fulfill their financial, career and personal aspirations. Here is a report on the FSS program at Hawthorne Place so far.

In 2021, POAH began additional renovations, including replacement of all heating, cooling, and hot water equipment, all entry and select interior doors, along with new electrical fixtures in most units. In 2022, POAH completed a $30 million renovation that included upgrades to kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, HVAC, heating/hot water systems, improved ventilation, 13 fully accessible units, common area and laundry rooms, and site improvements including sidewalks, parking lots, and building entries.

In addition, POAH is completing a $3 million renovation of the community building as a pilot site for POAH’s Trauma Resiliency Program. The renovation of the existing building and design of a 4,000 square foot addition was a collaborative, human-centered design process to develop and deploy trauma-informed practices within affordable housing. The community building is home to our community impact partners including the Boys and Girls Club, Community Services League, food pantry, daycare, credit union, and Financial Opportunity Center, as well as the POAH Communities management team. The renovation of this space will be complete in August of this year.

Amy S. Anthony College Savings Plan - In 2017, POAH launched the Amy S. Anthony College Savings Accounts at Hawthorne Place Apartments, a 745-unit housing community in Independence, Missouri, to promote opportunity for children and their parents at our largest family community. Learn more here

Videos