Kansas City leaders announce plan to end homelessness in the city
Update: Officials at the news conference Thursday provided more details about the plan. That story is posted here.
Kansas City leaders on Thursday announced an effort to end homelessness in Kansas City by addressing the growing problem through a comprehensive program.
The program, called Zero KC: A Plan for Ending Homelessness in Kansas City, was developed by the city’s Houseless Task Force and the Housing and Community Development Department.
The plan was unveiled Thursday morning during a press conference outside City Hall in downtown Kansas City.
The plan is based on five pillars:
- Living outside is dangerous.
- Kansas City needs more housing.
- Wrap-around services are critical.
- One size does not fit all.
- Solving homelessness requires investment.
The plan has identified priority projects, including low barrier emergency shelters, enacting encampment strategy, increasing street outreach presence, increasing cross system collaboration and engaging neighborhoods and business communities.
“As someone who has experienced housing insecurity in my life, I have seen the extreme challenges being unhoused brought to a family’s ability to attend school, work, and find comfort each day,” Mayor Quinton Lucas wrote in a letter at the beginning of the plan. “Everyone deserves a safe place to lay their head at night and providing a safe home for everyone means everyone thrives, transforming our neighborhoods into safer, happier, and healthier places.”
This story was originally published September 22, 2022 at 10:58 AM.
