Skeptical Northeast Meeting Questions Kansas City Low-Barrier Shelter Assurances

Last night shared notes on the meeting that deserves more consideration beyond the promotional content that KCMO mainstream news is providing. 

The highlights . . .

-There is council resistance to this plan given so much public outcry. 3rd District Council Lady Melissa Robinson might be the leader of this push back and doesn't seem to want more homeless dumped in the urban core as Downtown callously passes the buck on services they might also help provide. 

- Hope Faith has a complex non-profit & private structure that's raising eyebrows behind the scenes. If the cash was going to some place like Operation Breakthrough - An organization with a sterling reputation - There likely wouldn't be this kind of resistance.  

- For the first time, Northeast leaders are starting to question the city manager. He had earned a lot of praise early in his tenure but he's less convincing as a pitch man for Mayor Q's administration.

Finally . . .

Longtime residents question Mayor Q's commitment to community outreach and think it's very likely this cash gets pushed through without much public feedback. 

Alternatively . . . Dumping another homeless shelter on Northeast threatens to inspire citizen initiative petition push back against Mayor Q in an already "complicated" 2024 election cycle.

Here are the basics and more info for now . . .

"The plan would give the Hope Faith shelter more than $7 million in federal funds to expand its Homeless Assistance Campus, at Admiral Boulevard and Virginia Avenue, and create an 80-bed shelter that is open 24/7. The proposed ordinance, introduced by Mayor Quinton Lucas last week, has yet to be discussed by the Kansas City Council, and Wednesday’s meeting was part of the city’s engagement process.

"Some residents of the surrounding neighborhoods told several councilmembers and City Manager Brian Platt they weren’t included in the city’s decision-making, and they don’t want it to be the only low-barrier shelter in the city. Some don’t want a low-barrier shelter in the Northeast at all, and others voiced concern about the effects it would have on surrounding neighborhoods.

"Residents and staff of Hope Faith, though, asked neighbors to give the expanded shelter a chance."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Kansas City has a plan for 80 more shelter beds, but some Historic Northeast neighbors don't want it

Kansas City, Missouri, has a plan to allocate federal funds to expand an existing shelter and turn it into the city's only 24/7, low-barrier homeless shelter. Some residents of the Historic Northeast, where the shelter is located, say they were left out of the decision-making process.

Meeting gives clarity on proposed low-barrier shelter in Northeast neighborhood in KCMO

A public meeting Wednesday night brought new details on a proposal to add a low-barrier shelter space in Kansas City.

Message Sent? | Northeast News

Michael BushnellPublisher Close to 200 people, over 100 of which were in person, packed the offices of the Northeast Chamber of Commerce Wednesday evening to express their concerns to Kansas...

Developing . . .