Mid-America Regional Council

Gathering Feedback to Build Better Data Tools

Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) responded to a growing regional interest in affordable housing in the Kansas City metropolitan area by convening the Regional Housing Partnership with their partner LISC Greater Kansas City. The Regional Housing Partnership studies, plans, supports and facilitates the preservation and creation of affordable housing units while strengthening the capacity of civic infrastructure to address housing challenges on an ongoing basis. As part of the Regional Housing Partnership, MARC launched the Housing Data Hub to collect and facilitate access to data relevant to the issue of housing. MARC understood that the Housing Data Hub would be a better resource if stakeholders' voices were part of its development. MARC staff sought PorchLight Insights’ assistance in gathering feedback about the Data Hub due to our dual expertise in housing data and stakeholder engagement.

PorchLight Insights designed and implemented a stakeholder engagement process for MARC focused on understanding the problems, solutions, and data that were most important to local housing advocates and local government staff. PorchLight Insights identified key stakeholders, managed scheduling and invitations, and facilitated five virtual meetings for housing advocate stakeholders. The focus group sessions were structured so that feedback could be aggregated and compared across meetings. PorchLight Insights then delivered a report to MARC synthesizing the housing community's thoughts and interests to help inform the evolution of the Regional Housing Partnership and the Housing Data Hub.