WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) - Abandoned homes are an issue in several neighborhoods in Wichita. The south side of town is among those dealing with squatters and fires in abandoned homes. Local leaders are taking those discussions to the state level. It's part of a larger effort to strengthen the housing supply in the city. City leaders say vacant homes in Wichita become prime space for squatters to move in. They're taking steps to reduce the number of vacant homes. Currently, abandoned homes in Wichita cannot be claimed by the local government until property taxes have not been paid for five years. The process can be sped up if it can be proven the home is in need of major repair. City Councilmember Mike Hoheisel says local leaders want to claim abandoned homes with more ease, so they're taking the discussion to leaders in Topeka. "On the state level, it's more about just the communication as far as what we want to see going forward on our local level and making sure that meshes with state law and making sure there's no potential barriers that are gonna pop up toward us enacting some of these regulations moving forward," Hoheisel said. He says he wants to make it so properties can be claimed a year or two after property taxes have not been paid, as long as they're vacant and have been reported for squatting. Hoheisel also says there are currently some state regulations that may need to be tweaked to allow for those changes on the local level.