In February, Kansas City announced plans to implement a new system to help the unhoused population. The city has one of the largest chronically unsheltered populations per capita in the country.
The Housing Gateway Program is a public-private partnership that will take a coordinated approach to transition people from homelessness into stable housing.
The program relies on financial contributions from business leaders and philanthropists in Kansas City, and the coordinated help of local nonprofits and healthcare providers.
“I think Kansas City is really well positioned to solve this crisis,” Mandy Chapman Semple said.
Semple designed the system that has been proven effective in multiple cities across the country, including Dallas, New Orleans and Houston.
Individuals will be provided with a municipal housing voucher for up to 12 months, and get a caseworker to connect them with other partnering organizations and healthcare providers.
“We are going to be working with them in a very intentional way,” said Mary Owens, Kansas City’s deputy director of housing and community development. “So that when month 13 comes, when their voucher is complete, that they're really equipped to be self-sufficient and move on to a more sustainable situation for themselves.”
Commerce Bank chairman and CEO Kevin Barth has been a leader in Kansas City’s recent homelessness efforts. He said the private sector’s role is to expedite getting the program up and running.
“Going to businesses, (going) to the philanthropist, it allows us to quick start it, to jumpstart it, and to put in more flexible dollars that can be used for other things besides housing,” Barth said.
About 10 businesses and foundations have contributed approximately $11 million, according to Barth.
While Barth said he expects Kansas City to be able to sustain the program after two years, the business community may remain involved in other ways and to help the program expand across the metro.
- Mary Owens, deputy director of housing and community development, Kansas City
- Kevin Barth, chairman and CEO of Commerce Bank-Kansas City
- Mandy Chapman Semple, homeless systems expert and managing partner of Clutch Consulting Group
