Fourplex burned, hurting families in need. Here’s how LS Hillcrest plans to rebuild

As flames licked the front door, Kalena Smith remembers grabbing her grandchildren and rushing out the back.

It was 7 a.m. on July 14 last year, and the fourplex where she and three other families lived was on fire.

They were being housed on the Lee’s Summit campus of Hillcrest, a transitional housing program designed to move families from homelessness to self-sufficiency.

Smith, her grandchildren, teenage son and the other families all got out safely but the building was destroyed.

The loss of the fourplex took a toll on Hillcrest’s capacity to house and help others last year.

In June, Hillcrest began a capital campaign, Rebuild 505, to replace the fourplex at 505 S.W. Mission Road.

“What this means for Hillcrest is the capacity to serve 12 more families,” said Cotton Sivils, vice president of development.

When conditions are optimal — no fire, no pandemic — Hillcrest can house 48 families in a year.

In the Hillcrest program, the homeless learn how to manage money and spend wisely in 90 days. Every three months, families graduate from the program and new families move in. Losing the building meant losing four apartments that could have housed around 12 families over the course of a year.

And Hillcrest always has a waiting list — an average of 45 households every month.

Families are screened thoroughly before they are accepted. They must demonstrate a strong willingness and commitment to achieving self-sufficiency.

“After I applied, I called in every day to see if there was an opening,” Smith said.

Smith and her son moved from San Antonio to Kansas City to live with another family member. She tried hard to make the arrangement work but the situation became too stressful and dysfunctional.

That’s when she turned to Hillcrest.

“We had lost everything before we came here,” Smith said. “Hillcrest showed me what it was like to be safe and to be loved.”

The fire last summer left her once again — temporarily — with nothing.

But two hours after the flames were extinguished, Smith’s family had been relocated to another Hillcrest apartment and provided with retail gift cards and thrift-store vouchers to replace what she had lost.

When residents enter the Hillcrest program, they receive rent-free housing, food and assistance with basic needs. In return, adults are required to work full time; keep their apartment clean; and attend weekly classes in budgeting, nutrition and community living.

Smith works as a bus driver in the Hickman Mills School District. In 2020, when Kansas City area school districts turned to remote learning, Smith was sent to St. Joseph to drive for a district that was still holding classes in person.

“We left at 4:30 a.m. and got back at 7 p.m.,” Smith said. “I was working 75 hour workweeks.”

After completing the 90-day program, Smith was asked to enter Hillcrest’s graduate program and continue the progress she was making.

“I’ve made a complete turnaround,” Smith said. “I’ve lost 60 pounds. I’m happy and my son has started smiling again.”

In the graduate program, residents are required to set aside $350 a month for a move-out budget. When they leave Hillcrest, they get the money back.

Smith plans to leave in October and move into an apartment in the Hickman Mills district. She hopes to qualify as a first-time homebuyer within a year.

For residents like Smith willing to work the program, success is almost assured: Five years after they graduate, 83% of Hillcrest residents are still self-sufficient and working full time, their families intact.

“Hillcrest has been a godsend for me,” said Crystal Guthrie, 44, who moved in earlier this month with her 16-year-old daughter.

“I came with nothing and everything I need is here,” Guthrie said.

Residents often move in with only the shirts on their backs, Sivils said. Thus apartments are furnished, and a pantry supplies food.

“We don’t want them spending their money on anything other than paying off their debts,” Sivils said.

Toward that goal, Guthrie is looking forward to starting a new job as a phlebotomist at $15 an hour.

The capital campaign is making progress as well. Construction began in the spring to replace the building. Hillcrest is 75% toward the Rebuild 505 goal of $750,000, Sivils said.

Hillcrest is funded by private foundations, government grants and contributions from churches, service clubs, businesses and individuals. The nonprofit also raises funds through an annual gala, scheduled for Aug. 19, and through revenue from its shop, Hillcrest Thrift Store.

The 21st Annual Gala and Auction will be held Aug. 19 at the North Club at Arrowhead Stadium, 1 Arrowhead Drive, Kansas City. A 6 p.m. silent auction will be followed by dinner at 7 p.m. Call 816-719-5232 or go to www.hillcrestkc.org/gala for more information.

Visit the Hillcrest Thrift Store in Lee’s Summit at 936 S.E. Third Street