‘We’re human beings’: After cold-related deaths, how can KC keep homeless people warm?
A dangerous game of pass-the-buck is costing homeless people in Kansas City their lives. But it shouldn’t take unhoused people freezing to death to bring attention to a communitywide problem.
Scott “Sixx” Eicke was found dead in a tent on New Year’s Day in a wooded area near 24th Street and Woodland Avenue in Kansas City. He was alone, without clothing, and had no source of heat. A cause of death has not been determined. Eicke may have died from exposure to the extreme cold, advocates for homeless people said.
Eicke, 41, was without a stable home. As recently as last week, yellow police tape surrounded the spot where he took his last breath. Days after Eicke’s death, a second man presumed homeless was found dead inside a vacant building at East 53rd Street and Prospect Avenue.
Both deaths were preventable, advocates say. But Kansas City’s ill-advised sweep last month displaced Eicke and other members of an already vulnerable population.
“At the end of the day, we’re human beings,” said Eicke’s friend, Luke Banks, who is also without a home. “We’re struggling, and we need a little help.”
Eicke and others without shelter are often shunned by the community and become ensnared in government red tape and bureaucracy, said Nellie Ann McCool with Free Hot Soup, an advocacy group for homeless people.
Temperatures were below freezing the night before’s Eicke’s death, she said. He was exposed to snow and ice. No city agency offered assistance to help keep the less fortunate warm on one of the coldest nights of this winter.
“It makes me so angry,” McCool said. “Incredibly angry. No one cares enough to put their feet on the ground. We’re dehumanizing people that live on the street.”
City Councilman Brandon Ellington wants action
Eicke lost his life unnecessarily. His few belongings were confiscated and discarded during a Dec. 26 sweep conducted by the Kansas City Parks and Recreation Department, advocates said.
Kansas City Parks Director Terry Rynard said a group of volunteers cleared a homeless camp near an underpass at Interstate 70 and The Paseo. Taking personal belongings would be a violation of department policy, Rynard said. The volunteers did not remove anyone’s personal property, she said.
One park ranger accompanied the clean-up crew and denied any knowledge of a policy violation, Rynard said.
No one from the city’s police or health departments was on the scene, city officials said.
But someone took Eicke’s belongings. And whoever did that is responsible for his death. Answers are imperative. It isn’t enough for city officials to just collectively shrug and say they don’t know.
“No one should be moved without having warm, replacement shelter to go to,” Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas wrote in a tweet. But he offered little in the way of solutions.
Kansas City Councilman Brandon Ellington was more direct. In the coming weeks, Ellington plans to introduce a measure that would explore stable housing for homeless people on city-owned property or parkland.
The enclaves would be in secure locations in the city and would offer permanent housing, social services and other resources. The concept is out-of-the-box, but one worth exploring.
No one has all the answers to end the homelessness in Kansas City. But a project similar to the tiny home developments in St. Louis could change the trajectory of the lives of people without stability.
“We have to start looking at different models,” Ellington said. “Just cleaning up the sites and nothing else. It’s ridiculous the amount we spend just to clean up.”
Homeless people often freeze on the street, said Jaysen Van Sickle, CEO of Hope Faith Homeless Assistance Campus. The recent deaths of Eicke and another man provided an urgent call to action.
What will Kansas City officials do to prevent more homeless people from freezing to death? Who will step up and join Ellington in advocating for change? Our community can’t afford to continue to look the other way.