COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR RESOLUTION NO. 220865
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Sponsor: Councilwoman Parks-Shaw
RESOLUTION - Adopting the strategic plan, “Zero KC: A Plan for Ending Homelessness in Kansas City,” approved by the Homeless Services Task Force, and directing the City Manager to report to Council with recommendations both within 30 days for a plan specifically addressing emergency measures that City will take during the upcoming winter to support unhoused persons, and within 90 days concerning City’s implementation of the overall strategic plan.
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WHEREAS, the City Council has expressed its concerns regarding the living conditions of persons experiencing houselessness in Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City provides financial support and other services directly to persons experiencing houselessness and indirectly through support of many organizations that provide shelter and other services for the houseless and those at risk of becoming houseless; and
WHEREAS, the City of Kansas City supports several community organizations that provide housing, emergency shelter, outreach, counseling, rent and utility payments and other services to Kansas City, Missouri residents; and
WHEREAS, on February 7, 2021, the City created the “Homeless Services Task Force” through Committee Substitute for Resolution No. 210060 to coordinate and improve the services provided to persons experiencing houselessness; and
WHEREAS, on August 26, 2021, through Resolution Nos. 210730 and 210731, the City Council directed the City Manager to initiate a community needs assessment to serve as a foundation for addressing the needs of the houseless population and those at risk of houselessness, and to use that needs assessment to develop a comprehensive, collaborative local houseless strategic plan for addressing houseless intervention and prevention; and
WHEREAS, the Task Force, based on an analysis of the “Kansas City Community Needs Assessment: A Foundation for Ending Homelessness” prepared by a consultant, Community Analytics, LLC, has worked over a one-year period with the consultant, the City’s Housing and Community Development Department and other community partners to develop a strategic plan aimed to end homelessness in Kansas City; and
WHEREAS, the Task Force has prepared and approved this strategic plan, “Zero KC: A Plan for Ending Homelessness in Kansas City,” which identifies the following five strategic priorities and an action plan for targeting each: (1) Decommission Existing Encampments, Promote Health, Safety and Quality of Life for All and Quickly Re-House Individuals Who Live Unsheltered, (2) Increase Affordable Housing Stock and Focus on Housing Stability, (3) Invest in Equitable, Evidence-Informed Housing Solutions and High-Quality Wrap-Around Services, (4) Examine the Needs of Marginalized Groups and Underserved Populations and (5) Maximize Funding Opportunities and Implement Creative Solutions; and
WHEREAS, the City Council recognizes the pervasive and destructive impacts of houselessness throughout the city and the efforts of the Homeless Services Task Force to identify need-based strategies and action plans that might be implemented to address houselessness; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That the City Council adopts the strategic plan, “Zero KC: A Plan for Ending Homelessness in Kansas City,” developed by the Homeless Services Task Force.
Section 2. That the City Manager is hereby directed, within 30 days of the passage of this resolution, to report to the City Council with a plan specifically addressing emergency measures that City will take during the upcoming winter to support unhoused persons.
Section 3. That the City Manager is hereby directed, within 90 days of the passage of this resolution, to report to the City Council with recommendations concerning City’s implementation of the strategic plan, and to provide regular periodic updates on the same thereafter.
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