Transitional Cottage Community
by Embrace Your Shine

About This Project

This development consists of six new-construction transitional cottages in the Lykins neighborhood of Northeast Kansas City (4611 E. 10th St.), providing affordable, stable housing for young adults ages 18–30 who are experiencing hidden homelessness — couch-surfing, living in cars, or bouncing between unsafe situations outside the reach of traditional shelter systems.

The cottages are designed to serve as permanent housing infrastructure for the city, giving residents a real address, a safe environment, and the stability needed to complete education, hold employment, and build long-term self-sufficiency. Each unit is a small single-person cottage — currently serving individuals only — with shared outdoor space and access to wraparound support services both on-site and off-site.

Project highlights:

• 6 new-construction transitional cottages
• Target population: young adults ages 18–30 experiencing hidden homelessness
• Northeast KCMO — Lykins neighborhood, 4611 E. 10th St. 64127 (land received as donation)
• On-site and off-site supportive services programming
• UMKC BLOC Students teach Financial Literacy and Homeownership Readiness through U.S. Bank
• Designed as launchpads for long-term independence, not indefinite shelter

About Embrace Your Shine

Embrace Your Shine is a Kansas City nonprofit focused on housing stability and youth empowerment. Co-Founded by Rosana 'Sana' Polanco, the organization was born from a firsthand understanding of the gap that exists for young people transitioning out of youth-serving systems — a gap where affordable, stable housing is the single most critical missing piece.

Residents of the cottage community participate in Embrace Your Shine's Embrace Life Program — a structured 20-week curriculum covering emotional resilience, career readiness, leadership skills, and long-term goal-setting — pairing housing with the tools residents need to stay housed and thrive.