Grant process for low-barrier housing, services starting over

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Plans for a more than $7 million grant that could have helped create Kansas City’s first low-barrier, 24/7 homeless shelter appears to be on its last legs this week.

A new resolution, 240415, would reject all proposals from the initial Request for Proposals (RFP) that awarded $7,137,610 in federal grant money to Hope Faith Homeless Assistance Campus .

A similar RFP process would be open for 30 days with workshops helping applicants running through the Housing and Community Development Department.

Hope Faith intended to use the money to renovate the existing building so it could house up to 100 people overnight while offering more services.

“It would have given an off ramp for people that you might be seeing tonight on your way home from work on the streets, to give them an option to be off of the streets,” said Hope Faith Executive Director Doug Langner.

The plan faced opposition after Columbus Park residents objected to the fact that all the money was going to one location that was already near their neighborhood.

“The biggest frustration for us was that it was going to be concentrated in our area,” said Columbus Park Community Council President Jeff Albright. “We’re not against low-barrier shelters at all. We want shelters and services we want them to be done right but we feel like they should be limited bed count and spread throughout the metro.”

Now that the process is essentially starting over, Columbus Park Councilmember Cathryn Schneider

“We’re really enthusiastic, making sure that not just Columbus Park but all the surrounding neighborhoods that are going to be affected by an RFP like this, our voices are going to be heard,” said Schneider.

Langner told FOX4 he emailed Councilmembers Andrea Bough , Melissa Patterson Hazley , Melissa Robinson , and Mayor Quinton Lucas, who are sponsoring the resolution that creates the new RFP Process to ask why the change was made. Lucas sponsored the resolution that would have awarded the $7 million to Hope Faith alone.

“Most of it’s just been silence,” Langner said. “A few people have shared back to say, ‘Hey we would like to explain that,’ others said, ‘Well, there’s a new RFP so we can’t answer a thing.”

Mayor Lucas’ spokesperson directed FOX4 to the discussion that will happen in Wednesday mornings Finance Committee Meeting. Councilmembers Robinson and Bough didn’t respond to our emails for comment but Councilmember Patterson Hazley told FOX4 that her decision to pursue a new RFP is about not spending all the money in one spot.

“Homelessness is an issue across all six district sand so we need to be responding across all six districts,” Patterson Hazley said.

She says the new process will still try to create more housing and services for the homeless population but workshops will help more applicants go after that money.

“Whenever you have an RFP, it is a competitive process and no proposer should feel promised to receive the funding because, obviously, it needs to come to the [City] Council,” Patterson Hazley said. “The [City] Council needs to make a decision.”

In this case, City Council didn’t like what it got and is starting over.

If that new plan passes through the Finance Committee Wednesday morning, it could be approved by the full City Council Thursday afternoon.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 4 Kansas City WDAF-TV | News, Weather, Sports.