KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After two people experiencing homelessness in Kansas City, Missouri, died Mayor Quinton Lucas is looking to find a solution.
"I think what I realized from everything that we've done recently is that it's not enough,” Lucas said. “You can't just put millions of dollars into something. You need to make sure you're actually getting things to people every day."
Lucas met on Tuesday at the Jazz Museum Pavilion with people experiencing homelessness. They shared some immediate changes they said could help, including an immediate halt and abolishment of any camp sweeps and making hotel space available to those in need.
A Kansas City, Missouri, spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday that "no city agency has conducted any sweeps of homeless encampments yesterday or today."
Other suggestions included allowing people to sit, sleep or have a tent in public without receiving a citation.
Kansas City, Missouri, Councilman Brandon Ellington unveiled a proposal on Monday that includes creating shelters or enclaves at parks, empty schools or motels to provide temporary housing for those experiencing homelessness.
Scott Eicke, 41, was experiencing homelessness and died Jan. 2 in the area of East 24th Street and Woodland Avenue. Eicke’s friends called his death preventable and a tragedy. Days later, another man experiencing homelessness was found in a vacant building at East 54th Street and Prospect Avenue.
Local advocates previously told 41 Action News that up to 50,000 households could experience homelessness in the Kansas City metro.
