The city of Chanute is one of eight projects in the state to receive a Residential Opportunities On Main Street or ROOMS grant.

 Chanute Main Street will receive $50,000 (fifty thousand dollars) in funding to create 10 new housing units in the Sturdevant Hardware building, ranging from studio apartments to two bedroom units. Kansas Main Street Director Scott Sewell says the ROOMS program can help with the lack of housing experienced in rural areas of the state.

Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland calls investment in the downtown areas of rural Kansas communities vital to quality of life and that the housing provided by the ROOMS grants will help with economic development by making rural communities appealing to businesses looking to relocate or expand.