Kansas City Council Criticized After Low-Barrier Shelter Vote

Advocacy for the homeless/unhoused in Kansas City has become increasingly difficult as neighborhood public safety concerns often challenge advocates who are mostly concerned with humanitarian issues. 

Sunday is a great day to talk about this dichotomy and we should start out with straight up propaganda reported by "public radio" recently . . . They describe a "low-barrier" shelter this way: 

"A low-barrier shelter accepts any person regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation, condition or religious affiliation."

Almost every shelter mostly does that . . . Here's the debate . . .

In KCMO the model is clear: 

The upcoming low-barrier shelter will accept people who are using drugs or haven't yet sobered up . . . Every other shelter in KC requires people to at least get TEMPORARILY CLEAN if they want a place to sleep at night. This is the crux of the low-barrier debate.

Let's be perfectly clear . . .

NORTHEAST SHARES LEGIT CONCERNS ABOUT WELCOMING HOMELESS DRUG ADDICTS WITH ALMOST NO LIMITS ON THEIR BEHAVIOR!!!

It's concerning that local news downplays this facet of the plan or dresses up the stark reality of the effort. 

Brief aside . . .

The low-barrier homeless shelter plan is new to Kansas City but the idea is old and outdated. Across the nation more progressive cities have discovered that permissive attitudes toward drug use have caused more harm than good. That's why Portland is now RE-CRIMINALIZING hard drugs amid a boom of deadly ODs, crime and human misery followed recent legalization. 

But I digress . . .

Let's get down to Kansas City neighborhood politics . . .

Council members were caught in quandary on the low-barrier shelter issue . . . On one hand, Northeast Neighbors have loudly voiced their opposition.

Meanwhile . . .

Mayor Q and homeless advocates played to the heartstrings of Council and promised safeguards and assurances that this project wouldn't damage nearby residents. 

And so . . .

Some council members were on the fence for months but finally voted UNANIMOUSLY to endorse the shelter despite Northeast objections. 

Recently . . .

Opponents of the Council's decision reached out to our blog community to express their disappointment. 

"I don't understand, they knew about our objections. This isn't right for Northeast to take on this burden by ourselves and we made that completely clear. The council's decision was EXTREMELY disappointing." 

Meanwhile Mayor Q is more optimistic . . . 

“Our hope in this is twofold. One, we make sure there are opportunities for people to take care of themselves, to make sure they can get the help that they need, and second, that we have long-term mental health beds, a way to make sure there is care for people long-term,” Mayor Quinton Lucas said.

We'll conclude this post with a glimpse at more neighborhood opinion and reporting so that readers can make up their own mind . . . 

Others who live in the surrounding areas throughout the Northeast say homelessness and mental health are citywide issues and would like to see more resources distributed throughout the city.

“It’s a long-term issue that continues to slow the economic development of the community. It has a negative impact for our residents,” Bobbi Baker, Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce president, said.

She says the communities have become rampant with crime and she has watched neighborhoods decline in recent years. She joins other residents who have concerns about the services being overly concentrated in the Northeast.

“I think that we already have a plethora of services that are concentrated in this area and attract not just people who are unhoused or in need but also the people who decide that it’s a good idea to wake up one day and come over and provide supplies.” Ingrid Burnett, Missouri State Representative and Columbus Park resident, said.

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

'To seek help hasn't been easy': KC leaders approve shelter, mental health facility

Kansas City council approved plans to add a low-farrier homeless shelter and a mental health facility to the Northeast area of town.