KC to review contracts with homelessness group after allegations, resignations
Kansas City is moving ahead with an “expedited compliance review” after resignations and conflict of interest allegations upended the regional body tasked with addressing homelessness.
The City Council directed the city auditor to review its contracts with the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, an agency that has received city funds to support efforts around homelessness.
The Greater Kansas City Coalition is the lead agency for what’s known as the Continuum of Care (CoC) — a regional planning group comprising various local organizations and people — that coordinates applying for federal grant funding for homelessness for Jackson and Wyandotte counties.
But three top officials on the CoC board abruptly resigned from their leadership positions on the board last month, leaving behind a lengthy memo detailing concerns over alleged conflicts of interest, lack of financial guardrails, transparency issues and broad concerns over the CoC’s ability to properly manage the millions of dollars it oversees.
Mayor Quinton Lucas said during the City Council’s meeting on Thursday that the review comes in light of the resignations and questions about compliance issues and other matters.
“The thought was, it’s best to see what’s real, what’s not, and this allows us to get that review,” Lucas said.
The review’s findings are due back to the council within 30 days.
Former CoC Board President Shanita Bryant has said the board’s alleged issues are directly related to the region’s struggle to properly provide homeless prevention services like transitional housing and emergency shelter beds.
“The people who are supposed to be the experts in the room to address that are not doing it in a way that’s cohesive and helpful,” Bryant previously told The Star.
But the drama over the CoC comes as City Hall continues beefing up its work to combat homelessness, including with the Housing Gateway Program, which launched earlier this year.
The program’s rollout follows Kansas City’s struggles to address chronic homelessness for years as its homeless population has spiked. Officials have sought to switch up the city’s approach.
The Gateway Program, which receives both public and private funding, aims to keep people in stable housing and out of homelessness with a quick response. Business leaders have been involved, and the city seeks to include landlords with the effort as well.
Such responses could include rental assistance, support for utility payments and security deposits, transportation support, support for mental health and substance abuse struggles and other services.
The city has offered seed funding to the Gateway Program while seeking more private dollars to support the work.
Mary Owens, deputy director of housing for the city, said the city works closely with the CoC.
“We were concerned by the issues that were raised in the resignation letter, and we had had our own experiences with lack of transparency and communication previously,” Owens told The Star. “So we’re really looking forward to working with the broader community to figure out our next steps, and we think that there’s a path forward with the Housing Gateway Program.”
The Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness Board of Directors, in a two-page letter sent to The Star, said “moments like this underscore the importance of accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement.”
“We welcome thoughtful review of governance and community processes and support efforts that strengthen public confidence in the regional homelessness response system,” the statement said. “Most importantly, we remain focused on the shared mission that unites this work: helping individuals and families experiencing homelessness access safe housing, stability, and effective services as quickly as possible.”
The council’s approval language casts the review as a “routine governance and risk-management action” meant to protect the city’s interests ahead of competition for future federal funding.
