The opening of a new duplex in Kansas City's Historic Northeast signals the first of many much-needed affordable housing units built and owned by ReStart, a nonprofit that addresses homelessness.

Why it matters: Low-income families facing rising costs are getting priced out of their homes, and a shortage of cheap housing often leaves them seeking emergency shelter, ReStart CEO Stephanie Boyer tells Axios.

Driving the news: The duplex on Drury Avenue is the first completed project of ReStart's affordable housing initiative, UpStart, which aims to build 100 affordable units in the next five years.

• The ribbon-cutting Thursday drew Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II and Jackson County legislator Manny Abarca.

Follow the money: Cleaver in 2022 secured $750,000 for ReStart and presented the check at the groundbreaking last year.

• Boyer says about $100,000 went into ridding the ground of lead and asbestos after the house that previously occupied the lot burned down years ago.

Zoom in: The three-bedroom, 2½-bath units will be rented to families making 30% or less of the area median income, a section of the population Boyer says is greatly in need.

• "That's 100% of the 1,344 people we served last year," she says. "Their rent is just going to help us to maintain the property."

Context: Kansas City is short roughly 64,000 affordable units, and rent prices have seen significant increases since the pandemic.

• "Last year, ReStart received calls from 718 families that were seeking emergency shelter" as many were priced out of their homes, Boyer says.
• "I expect that number to double this year."

What they're saying: "We welcome UpStart and are excited for the difference these homes will make," Kay Hopkins, vice president of the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association, said Thursday.

Zoom out: ReStart will also open new transition housing in Midtown on July 21 called Family Lodge, which will take over the former Quality Inn & Suites and will triple ReStart's interim family capacity.

What we're watching: UpStart has plans to build three more units in the Indian Mound neighborhood — a single-family home and another duplex, Northeast News reports.

The bottom line: Two down, 98 to go.

It's the last big weekend for World Cup activities in Kansas City, with the final days of Fan Fest, a couple of major concerts, and the last local match.

Why it matters: KC's moment as a host city is almost over — but not before Argentina returns to battle Switzerland in a quarterfinal.

Fan Fest

Nineteen days of watch parties and performances culminate today and tomorrow with blockbuster headliners.

If you go: Sheryl Crow performs tonight from 7:30-8:30pm after the Spain vs. Belgium match.

• The All-American Rejects perform tomorrow from 2:30-3:45pm ahead of Norway vs. England at 4pm and Argentina vs. Switzerland at 8pm.
• Fan Fest is free to attend, but you must register to enter.

Yes, but: Tomorrow's forecast shows a slight chance of storms, so watch the weather and follow KC2026 online for updates.

Other watch parties include Soccer in the City at KC Live!, Theatre in the Park, Pitch Lenexa, Clock Tower Landing and Current Landing.

Team-themed events

🇨🇭 Switzerland: The Swiss Fan Embassy is expecting an influx of about 1,000 Swiss nationals and up to 1,000 U.S. Swiss fans, per a statement to Axios.

• The Kansas City Swiss Society is also hosting a watch party tomorrow at KC Bier Co.
• We hope they bring their alphorns.

🇦🇷 Argentina: Fans are planning a massive pre-match party, called a banderazo, today at Mill Creek Park starting at 5pm, KCTV5 reports.

• Café Corazón will host its own banderazo today from 7-11pm. The event will be free to attend and will feature music, food, drinks and art.
• Or, if you're like some fans, you're already partying outside Origin Hotel.

🚊 KC Streetcar employees plan to unionize under the local Teamsters chapter. Workers say they want better pay, hours and workplace protections. (KCUR)

💰 Regional organizations are putting together a $100M housing fund to create or preserve up to 5,000 affordable units across the metro. (The Beacon)

• Cleveland launched a nearly identical fund last year. (Axios)

Switzerland plays its first World Cup quarterfinal in 72 years tomorrow at Kansas City Stadium, and André's Confiserie Suisse is welcoming the Swiss with a chocolate bar made just for the occasion.

Why it matters: The Swiss last got this far in 1954, one year before the Bollier family opened its Swiss chocolate shop on Main Street, and the long wait ends in the family's adopted hometown.

Flashback: That all-Swiss identity goes back to 1955, when master pastry chef André Bollier funded his family's move from Switzerland with a recipe book.

• His grandson René apprenticed under his grandfather and father, trained in Switzerland himself and now runs the shop with his wife Nancy, turning out 13 tons of chocolate a year.

Zoom in: The shop's Celebrate Soccer collection gives each country playing or staying in KC a bar built on that nation's flavors. The Netherlands, Argentina, England and Algeria all have one, and the lineup kept growing all tournament.

• Switzerland didn't originally make the cut because everything André's makes is already Swiss.
• Then the Swiss beat Colombia on Tuesday, booking a Saturday date with Argentina in KC, and the kitchen scrambled.
• By Wednesday, the first batch of a hazelnut praline bar with almonds and nougat in milk chocolate was ready to be cut and wrapped for the weekend.

💭 My thought bubble: I talked my way into an early bite. The milk chocolate opens creamy with a caramel note; the hazelnut praline deepens it and the candied almonds finish with a snap.

What's next: The Swiss bar doesn't hit shelves until this weekend.