Joplin officials recently passed an ordinance banning the practice after noticing out-of-state vehicles dropping off homeless people. Columbia, meanwhile, has adopted a voluntary ride home program.
homeless
Posted inHousing
As homelessness rises and temperatures dip, Kansas City offers hundreds of beds for cold-weather plan
For Kansas City residents living on the street, the prospect of escaping subfreezing temperatures hinges on the availability of a shelter bed. When temperatures drop to 32 degrees, the human body is at risk of hypothermia. Frostbite can set in within 30 minutes without proper protection when air temperatures fall below 5 degrees and in […]
Posted inEducation
Some Park Elementary neighbors oppose Wichita homeless shelter plan
Bobby Harlan gazed over the shuttered grounds of Park Elementary School, which he attended 32 years ago, and shared his disappointment about its future. “How can it be a homeless shelter?” he said. “This neighborhood needs a school.” First came the news in March that Wichita schools would be closing the school to save on […]
Posted inKansas State Government
Calls for state aid grow as homelessness worsens across Kansas
Takeaways: Homelessness is rising across Kansas. It’s booming in Lawrence, where it increased 51% from 2020 to 2023. Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of the Homeless Solutions Division for Lawrence, said that rise comes partly from people dropping off homeless people at camps in the city. Nearby hospitals, correctional facilities or mental health centers will pull up […]
Posted inHousing, Wichita Journalism Collaborative
Meet the group offering dinner with a side of community in a downtown parking lot
As the sun set on the parking lot of St. John’s Episcopal Church on North Topeka Street, volunteers began arriving, setting up tables, playing music and rolling out coolers. Every Thursday night, people from different walks of life congregate with a shared purpose: to meet the needs of downtown Wichita’s homeless population and anyone else […]
Posted inHousing, Local Government
Wichita counted 42 homeless deaths last year, but the count is suspect
At least 42 homeless people died in Wichita in 2023. But the actual number could be bigger. Neither Sedgwick County nor Wichita keeps records of people who die without stable housing. “We simply don’t have metrics,” said Shelly Steadman, the director of the regional forensic center in Sedgwick County. Without reliable data, it is harder […]
Posted inHousing, Local Government
Why Wichita’s work on homelessness means redefining who is impacted
Wichita’s homelessness task force is looking to learn from the past. At the March 22 task force meeting, Sedgwick County Deputy Manager Tim Kaufman reviewed the work of the previous task force that formed in 2006 to help homelessness in Wichita. Specifically, Kaufman discussed which recommendations were successfully implemented and which were not and why. […]
Posted inHousing, Local Government
Wichita’s new task force will address homelessness. Who’s involved and what are their goals?
Update: the location of the meeting has been changed to Hughes Metropolitan Complex, 5015 E. 29th Street N., Room 138. Text in the story has been changed to reflect this. Concerned about the number of unhoused people living in Wichita and what is – and isn’t – being done to help them? A new task […]
Posted inHousing
In freezing temperatures, volunteers help count Wichita’s homeless population
With temperatures in the 20s before dawn on Jan. 26, tired-eyed volunteers with their breath freezing in the air began to gather in downtown Wichita at United Methodist Open Door. Each of them bundled up with warm clothes to keep the breeze from nipping at them.
Posted inHousing
Here’s how you can help ensure funding for Wichita housing programs
Before you can solve a problem, you must measure it. If you want to do something to help Wichita’s homeless population, you can volunteer to help count on Jan. 26. More than 100 volunteers are needed for the United Way’s annual “point-in-time” count of unhoused Wichita residents.