KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Organizers say they plan to open an emergency overnight shelter in Wyandotte County despite being told this week that the mayor would not allow it. The Kansas City Star reports Cross-Lines Community Outreach officials say they have a contract with the county to open the shelter in Kansas City, Kansas.
The announcement comes as snow and extremely cold temperatures are forecast for the region this weekend. Mayor Tyrone Garner said earlier this week he would not allow the shelter to open at the former Jack Reardon Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
He said he was focused on long-term solutions for homelessness but did not say why he opposed the proposed shelter.
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KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — With a severe cold snap approaching, Wyandotte County, Kansas, will not open an emergency overnight shelter, a decision that some service providers worry could have fatal consequences.
Service providers preparing to open the shelter at the former Jack Reardon Center in Kansas City, Kansas, instead learned that the Unified Government won't allow it. The decision leaves the county without any overnight cold weather shelters.
Forecasters say temperatures are expected to drop to around zero degrees this weekend.
Rachel Russell, director of community engagement for Cross-Lines Community Outreach, said the lack of shelter could cause homeless people to overwhelm hospitals.
Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Tyrone Garner wrote in a statement to a local paper that his goal is to address homelessness in the long term, but he didn't respond to specific questions about the decision to not move forward with the former Reardon Center site.