ORDINANCE NO. 210608
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Directing the City Manager to utilize the services of the Housing and Community Services Department to create a solicitation process to utilize extra funds to assist the houseless population through an increase in bed capacity and related health and social services at existing shelters and organizations; appropriating $1,700,000.00 from the Unappropriated Fund Balance of the General Fund for this purpose; designating requisitioning authority; and recognizing this ordinance as having an accelerated effective date.
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WHEREAS, Kansas City is the hometown to as many as 1700 people in the houseless community, according to Project Homeless Connect Kansas City, with 370 people under the age of 18; and
WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the public health issue by exponentially increasing job loss and financial struggle, particularly in communities of color and for those living at or near the poverty threshold as established by the United States' Department of Health and Human Services; and
WHEREAS, the intersecting and sometimes competing costs of housing and health create an undue burden on our city's poorest and most vulnerable residents; and
WHEREAS, spending public dollars to mitigate the effects of houselessness on the entire community serves a legitimate public purpose; and
WHEREAS, the Housing and Community Services Department is best situated to come up with a plan to increase bed capacity, social and health services at existing homeless shelters and organizations through a solicitation process; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
Section 1. That the City Manager is hereby directed to utilize the services of the Housing and Community Services Department to create a solicitation process to utilize extra funds to assist the houseless population through an increase in bed capacity and related health and social services at existing shelters ...
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