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Missouri's state treasury has a large surplus after 28 months of double-digit revenue growth and federal payments tied to COVID-19 relief and recovery. The extra money should help smooth any economic downturn while also allowing for new spending initiatives.
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Missouri on average took 41 days to process a Medicaid application in September for the eligibility group which includes low-income children, pregnant people, families and adults.
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The comprehensive collaborative plan would work on reducing homelessness not only in Kansas City but in the region.
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Kansas City's homeless shelters and cooling centers do not accept pets, but owners say they don't want to have to choose between keeping their animals and getting relief in extreme weather.
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There were 1,780 instances of foster kids going missing in Missouri over a two-and-a-half year period.
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The local nonprofit Pride Haven works to provide shelter first so guests are free to focus on other aspects of their lives.
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A free-laundry day at a Kansas City self-service location offers a measure of dignity and sustenance for folks struggling to find a place to wash their clothes.
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The Missouri Department of Social Services concluded in its annual progress report that staff turnover contributed to lower rates of permanency — stable, long-term residential situations — for kids in the state.
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The Missouri Department of Social Services’ Children’s Division has come under intense scrutiny from lawmakers for low morale, low pay and high vacancies of caseworkers, which has led to caseworkers being assigned far more cases than they can handle.
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The pandemic has overwhelmed understaffed state Medicaid agencies, and as Biden's COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends, low-income people could find it even harder to get coverage.
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The Winter Paralympics are beginning in Beijing, where Topeka native Dan Cnossen will compete as one of the world's best Paralympian cross-country skiers. Plus, Missouri food stamp applicants are suing over the state over a "dysfunctional" system that's shutting them out of benefits.
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Kinship placements can be a better option than a licensed foster home, but kinship parents say they need more support