The topic of affordable housing in Lawrence is a lot like the weather: Lots of people talk about it, but few people do anything about it.

That could change.

City officials have long talked of the need to create affordable housing in Lawrence — they even created a Housing Trust Fund a few years back — and now the city’s business leaders are seeing the issue as one of growing importance.

“It’s on our radar screen, and it’s something we want to look into,” said Larry McElwain, the outgoing president of the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce. “We think it’s an area that needs to be addressed — there’s a lot of people locating to Linwood, Eudora and Baldwin because housing in this town is so expensive.”

It’s not just a Lawrence problem. The issue is gaining statewide attention.

One in four Kansas households are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, according to a study released earlier this year by the Kansas Catholic Conference.

While the report did not include specifics on Douglas County, housing costs here consistently rank among the highest in the state. According to the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce, the average cost of a new 2,400-square-foot house exceeds $225,000, and two-bedroom apartments rent for an average of $618 per month.

Those costs are too high for many families, officials said.

“It’s a matter of human dignity,” said Archbishop James Patrick Keleher, who heads the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. He noted the state has a 10-year plan for building highways, but nothing to ensure Kansans can afford homes.

Michael Gribble looked for months for an affordable house in Lawrence before buying a fixer-upper in Overbrook. Gribble is shown outside his Overbrook home.

In Lawrence, the Housing Trust Fund Advisory Board was formed in 2001 with a $500,000 endowment left over from construction of the city’s Indoor Aquatic Center. But officials say more money will be needed to make a difference.

“If we’re going to make an impact,” board member Ed Tato told the Lawrence City Commission in November, “we’re going to need to find the mechanism to have the funds to do that.”

The board suggested a range of fund-raising possibilities, from increasing property taxes to raising real estate transfer fees, but no plan has mustered significant support from the Lawrence City Commission.

“There has to be some sort of message from the community saying these are things about which we feel strongly and we need to address,” Commissioner Sue Hack said at the November meeting.

In the meantime, the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce is considering a poll on the issue of affordable housing.

Michael Gribble works on his new home in Overbrook. He decided to stop living in Lawrence after looking for an affordable home.

“We haven’t done anything with it, but that’s our desire,” McElwain said recently.

He said affordable housing is connected to every other hot button issue facing the city — including the living wage, economic development and construction costs.

“It’s all connected,’ McElwain said.