Kansas City launches extreme weather plan to provide emergency shelter, aid this winter
Kansas City unveiled its extreme weather plan this week that will help people find shelter and aid when the cold weather strikes this winter.
A key part of the plan is an online dashboard that will be updated daily on the city’s website that will track shelter availability by all providers. The dashboard is designed to help shelters, community groups, street outreach workers and others find available beds for those who need a place to stay overnight.
“When the worst of winter hits, we’ll be ready to help people find shelter space quickly, and make sure that all available space is being used,” Fifth District Councilwoman Ryana Parks-Shaw, chairwoman of the city’s Houseless Task Force, said in a news release.
“With the season of giving starting again, we want people to have an easy way to help, knowing that the donations will go directly to help those who are unhoused.”
The dashboard, created by staff in the Data KC Office, is part of the city’s new plan to increase coordination of services for the those without a house.
Tracking shelter bed capacity will help see trends and prepare better to help when extreme weather hits, said City Manager Brian Platt.
“It will create new data that will help the city, as well as all the shelters, with both short and long-term planning and resource allocation,” he said.
That data will be important as the city implements its Extreme Weather Activation Plan. That plan is activated when daytime maximum temperatures are below 32 degrees or the overnight low is less than 20 degrees.
The plan includes:
- The city’s Emergency Center opening a hotline to coordinate shelter bed availability,
- RideKC offering frees bus rides to shelters and allows people to warm up on heated buses, and
- The city opening one or two temporary locations when shelters reach capacity.
As part of unveiling the plan, the city announced it was adding new ways for the community to help, including providing more ways for people to drop-off supplies and make donations to help those who are homeless.
A coalition of shelters, outreach workers and advocacy groups worked together to create a centralized drop-off location, hosted by City Union Mission at its Community Assistance Center, 1700 E. 8th Street.
“For 97 years we have supported the poor and homeless community to ensure our guests feel safe, secure, valued and respected,” said City Union Mission Chief Executive Officer Terry Megli. “We are now blessed to be providing space for storage of emergency supplies for the street homeless, as part of the city’s Extreme Weather Initiative.”
People can drop off supplies between noon and 6 p.m. Mondays through Fridays and 9 a.m. and noon Saturdays.
The needed supplies include:
New thermal tops and bottoms
New sweatshirts and sweatpants
New socks
New shoes/boots
New face coverings
New scarves
Hand and foot warmers
New sleeping bags/blankets, Mylar blankets
Like-new tents, coats gloves and stocking hats are also needed. The preferred clothing sizes are L and XL in men’s and women’s sizes.
Food should be donated through other organizations that specialize in feed the those who are homeless. No furniture will be accepted.
Parks-Shaw worked with the United Way and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation to create the Keep Caring Foundation to buy blankets, clothes and other personal items for those who are houseless.
“Due to extreme weather conditions this is an especially challenging part of the year,” said Anton Washington, founder of Creative Innovative Entrepreneurs, who also serves on the Mayor’s Houseless Task Force.
“With your donations we can attempt to keep our houseless population warm. Our new drop-off location is the hub for cold weather gear to distribute to our houseless population, with the ultimate goal of keeping people free from injuries or deaths. All monetary donations will 100% go towards needed gear.”
This story was originally published November 30, 2021 at 8:20 AM.
