KC’s council votes to negotiate with 2 nonprofits on city’s low barrier shelter plan

Kansas City’s City Council voted unanimously Thursday to allow Hope Faith Ministries and reStart inc. to each negotiate for a contract for a low barrier emergency shelter, considered a key initial step in the city’s five year initiative to address homelessness.

The situation has caused frustration among advocates for the unhoused community, who say the lack of such a shelter in a city the size of Kansas City is “unconscionable.”

Hope Faith Ministries, a non-profit homeless assistance organization, previously had their proposal accepted in January to receive $7.1 million from the American Rescue Plan Fund to build the shelter, but the council voted eight to two in April to scrap the plan after resistance from some residents.

Now, negotiations with Hope Faith will resume, and the council will also negotiate with reStart, another homeless assistance organization, about adding another shelter, possibly in the fifth district. They’re also asking the city manager to look into using other funds to add to those projects.

Councilmember Darrell Curls said that negotiating does not set a path in stone for the city.

While it’s expected that Hope Faith will propose the same location as before in Kansas City’s Northland, reStart does not currently have an address in mind. That gives them flexibility on where to negotiate on shelter placement, according to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

“I just want to go on record that the community knows that before anything takes place, we will have that discussion and there will be community engagement in regards to that process,” Curls said.

An additional half million of unused Housing and Urban Development funds will also be committed to addressing issues raised by homelessness in Kansas City, and meeting the needs of the communities where the shelters are eventually located.

“The $500,000, you can almost separate and simply say this is for site enhancements and improvements within 1,000 feet of wherever we end up entering into a contract with,” said Lucas. “ Right now would likely be at the identified site of Hope Faith, assuming that there is a successful contract negotiation, but I would also expect that to be done at any other location at which we would establish this.”

“Nothing about Hope Faith changes here,” said councilmember Wes Rogers. “It just adds more assistance to an issue we desperately need assistance on.”

Why a low barrier shelter?

A low barrier shelter is considered the first step in the city’s Zero KC initiative, a strategic effort first announced in September 2022, which aims to end the growing problem of homelessness in Kansas City.

The plan was produced by the city’s Houseless Task Force, which Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas created in 2021 after members of the homeless community camped out for weeks on the lawn of City Hall.

But while the plan suggested new policies, it didn’t mandate them. Instead, any policy that arose in support of the plan required separate approval from the City Council.

Hope Ministries’ application was reportedly selected previously because theirs was the only plan that added low barrier shelter beds, meaning the beds are accessible to anyone, regardless of race, religion or addiction, or other circumstance.

“This is the first major piece of what (the city) wants and what we desperately need,” Doug Langner, executive director at Hope Faith Ministries, previously said.

But the plan was rejected after a handful of residents from throughout the metro spoke in April about the need for funds to be allocated throughout the city, not just in constructing one shelter. Several pointed to the reality of unhoused people being located outside of the area where the low barrier shelter would be built, as well as the need for multiple service providers to be involved.

Langner previously told council he agreed with those who spoke from various neighborhoods about the need for multiple shelters throughout the city, but noted he didn’t believe that spreading out the money at the start was a feasible plan.

What’s next?

This story was originally published August 15, 2024 at 6:41 PM.