KANSAS CITY, Mo — After much anticipation on Thursday afternoon, the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council decided to not vote to approve a "Tiny Home Village" ordinance. Instead, the council decide to push the vote back one week.
The request was made by KCMO Councilwoman Katheryn Shields.
Shield said KCMO City Manager Brian Platt, was asked to do a study and put together a comprehensive plan for people experiencing homelessness in the city, 55 days ago.
10 days past the deadline, there is currently no plan. She said she would love to hear one before investing a large sum of money.
The ordinance is a $2.7 million proposal for the tiny home village.
On Wednesday, the KCMO Housing Policy Committee endorsed a contract with the nonprofit Merging KC, to build dozens of pallet homes.
They will provide beds and services for up to 200 people who are experiencing homelessness.
The village will be equipped with communal bathrooms, showers, laundry and hot food. It would also provide medical and mental health services, as well as life and work skill training.
$1 million will come from the city’s general fund and the rest will be funded by federal stimulus funding.
KCO Councilman Dan Fowler said it is not a permanent solution, but a step in the right direction in providing a better quality of life to those who seek it.
“It is not a permanent fix to the crisis of homelessness. It is a permanent fix for individuals who are currently homeless, hopefully,” Fowler said.
If approved, the village could be built rather quickly. The council is also discussing a zoning ordinance that would require a 30 day notice to the homeowners in the area the village would go up in. The location has not yet been identified.
