Kansas City, don’t wait for the World Cup to care about homelessness | Opinion

Kansas City does not need a moment. It needs alignment.

I was born and raised in Kansas City. When I was 12, our house caught on fire on 30th and Wayne, and just like that, my family was homeless. We did not have a system to catch us. We had to figure it out as we went.

I run a nonprofit called B.A.R.E. Truth that works directly with more than 300 people experiencing homelessness. Most of our work is in Los Angeles, but we also work in Kansas City. I have seen this issue from both sides, as someone who lived it and as someone who has dedicated his life to making it better. Because of that, I know the difference between movement that looks good and movement that works.

So, when I look at what is happening in Kansas City right now, I am not looking at it from the outside. This is home. My family is still there. I still go back. I still see what is happening on the ground. I am connected to this in a real way.

Right now, Kansas City is moving. There is urgency building because the World Cup is coming — new plans, new investments, more action. On the surface, it looks like progress. But when you look closer, you can see the divide. Different leaders are pushing different strategies. Some are focused on moving fast and showing results. Others are focused on long-term housing and stability. And while all of that is happening, people are still outside.

That is the part that matters.

Because bringing people inside is only step one. If there is no clear path behind that, no real housing to move into, no support to keep them stable, then people do not stay. They cycle back out. They lose trust. And the next time someone offers help, they are less likely to believe it is going to work. I see that every day in my work. You cannot just create space. You must create a way out.

That is where Kansas City must be careful right now. If this moment becomes about moving people quickly because the world is about to be watching, then we risk building something focused on appearance instead of impact. And systems built just for appearance do not last.

This is not about slowing things down. People need help right now. But urgency without alignment creates confusion. It creates inconsistency. And that is exactly where people fall through.

So let me be clear about what needs to happen. Kansas City must get on the same page. Not halfway aligned, not politically aligned, but aligned around a shared goal: moving people all the way out of homelessness, not just off the street.

That means investing in the full process — not just emergency beds, but the case management, mental health support and long-term housing options that allow someone to stay off the streets once they come inside. It means making sure every person who comes inside has a next step, and a step after that. Because without that, we are just moving people around.

And it means committing to this work after the World Cup is over. Because the people living outside right now will still be there when the cameras leave.

This is not about optics. It is about whether we are willing to build something that holds.

I have lived this. I know what it feels like when there is no clear path forward. And I have spent years working with people who are trying to find their way through systems that were not built for real life.

Kansas City has an opportunity right now, not just to respond to a global event, but to do this the right way. Because the real question is not how the city will look when the world shows up. It is what will still be working when they leave.

Joseph Bradford, III is CEO and executive director at B.A.R.E. Truth, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit service provider in Los Angeles.