KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City area could soon lose one of its biggest resources for single adults suffering from homelessness.
ReStart Inc. CEO Stephanie Boyer said Friday the organization's emergency 90-bed shelter will likely close in the coming months due to lack of funding.
"It breaks my heart," Boyer said. "It's absolutely critical to be able to provide the shelter and the services and the safe haven that we do for people."
Boyer said the emergency shelter, which serves as a temporary place for single adults to live and get resources, has been unfunded for years.
"Years ago, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development redirected dollars away from emergency shelters and into permanent supportive housing," Boyer said.
Since then, Boyer said reStart's emergency adult shelter has been relying on community support.
"We've been losing money for years, and we can't continue to do that obviously," Boyer said.
Boyer said staff have already started working with current residents at the shelter to come up with an exit plan.
The Kansas City, Missouri, City Council had a first reading of an ordinance Thursday night that would provide funding for the program.
In the meantime, Boyer said reStart is reaching out to local organizations, foundations and private investors to inquire about funding.
"These are citizens in our community, and they need our support," Boyer said.
Twenty-year-old Paul Tyes had been living on the streets before moving into the shelter about six months ago.
"Before I came here, I wasn't really doing anything," Tyes said. "I was struggling to get money and food."
Case workers have started working with residents to come up with exit plans.
Tyes worries about what his next move will be if the shelter closes down.
"I'm going to have to find different resources that are available to go to every day, and I know I won't have as much support as I have here," Tyes said.
