Lawrence housing project adds affordable homes for residents 55 and older

Delmar Place opened in Lawrence with 32 one-bedroom apartments for seniors earning below 80% of area median income, giving residents 55 and older a new foothold in a city where affordable housing remains far outpaced by need. The project is one of the clearest tests yet of whether local efforts can make a measurable dent in the housing crunch or only chip away at it.

The numbers in Lawrence are stark. The city says 49% of renters and 16% of homeowners are housing insecure, meaning they spend more than 30% of their income on housing. Between 2018 and 2025, median home sales prices rose 69% while median household incomes rose just 3%. Over the same stretch, median rental costs climbed 33%, and the city says home prices grew 23 times faster than incomes.

That pressure has pushed senior housing to the center of local policy. In 2024, the City of Lawrence and Douglas County adopted A Place for Everyone, a county-wide plan to end chronic homelessness and expand affordable housing. The plan calls for 1,500 affordable rental units and at least 50 supportive units for adults 55 and over. City housing policy also emphasizes homes for seniors, people with disabilities and families, groups officials say face greater housing stress and fewer affordable options.

Delmar Place was planned as a response to that gap. The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority said the project would help serve more than 30 people waiting for affordable housing, and described it as the agency’s first project toward a 2022 strategic goal of doubling the number of people it serves. The development was made feasible through funding and incentives from the City of Lawrence, Douglas County and the federal government, with support from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which is backed by a local sales tax and aimed at households at or below 80% AMI.

Even with Delmar Place open, the broader shortage remains. Lawrence launched a new housing survey in early 2026 as part of its second affordable housing study, asking for more input from students, renters, historically marginalized residents and people with disabilities. The city’s own data suggests the need is not limited to one building or one neighborhood. It is a citywide affordability gap that now reaches deep into retirement years, when fixed incomes leave little room for rising rents and home prices.