This petition is to turn homelessness shelters into modified apartment buildings for the purpose of housing homeless people.

Issue Description:

Homelessness in the United States reached its highest peak in 2024, with 771,480 individuals suffering from homelessness. This represents an 18 percent increase since the years prior. This means many individuals are living in emergency shelters, as well as those living in places not considered for human habitation, such as cars and the streets themselves. This is not just a national problem, it's happening right here in Kansas City. The latest data shows that over 2,200 people in Kansas City are homeless on any night. Even worse, local schools have reported that 1,200 students don’t have a stable place to live.

The reality for many people in Kansas City is getting worse. Nearly 40% of those recorded homeless are “unsheltered,” meaning that they live entirely outside with no resources. Solving this problem has a big impact on the health of our community. Everyone deserves a home. Having a proper shelter provides the foundation people need to keep a job, stay in school, and stay healthy.

We cannot rely on temporary fixes to solve this crisis. Instead, we must commit to long-term solutions like permanent affordable housing and support services that help people get back on their feet.

Kansas City’s Plan:

Kansas City understands the importance of solving homelessness and understands how it’s affecting our city currently. The current solution to homelessness, the “Zero KC Plan”, is well-researched, extensive, and structured. The plan begins with research conducted about the needs of Kansas City and what its residents experience. The community needs assessment and the “SWOT” (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) assessment give a strong foundation for the plan as it gives an understanding of what we currently experience and what plan can fit our situation best. Following the Kansas CIty focused research, the plan outlines each priority that will be used in the implementation plan. Then, the implementation plan has data, statistics, and specific programs that Kansas City will utilize in the plan. Essentially, looking through the implementation plan, Kansas City’s strategy is to put as many resources they can into every program they can find. Additionally, using the housing first ideology, Kansas City wants to provide every person with housing first, but not housing only meaning they provide housing along with support. This is what is outlined throughout the Zero KC Plan. However, throughout both the official plan document and the overview website, it is unclear what the housing provided really is. There is consistent mention of housing first and the want to increase affordable housing supply, but little to no mention of what housing will be used to actually house homeless individuals. Therefore, we suggest using an example of a successful housing solution and implement those housing plans onto the existing Zero KC Plan.

Finland’s Plan:

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office for International and Philanthropic Innovation provided research on how Finland nearly ended homelessness, and that research is absolutely crucial to end homelessness in Kansas City. Looking at Finland’s processes and results can give us a better understanding of the long-term effects of possible solutions to homelessness. This is due to the fact Finland not only created an extensive, useful plan we can reference, but also adapted that plan as they saw numbers change. Although their plan did not eliminate all traces of homelessness, they more than halved the homeless population. That is a result that would mean so much to many people and many families in Kansas City.

To begin their process, they conducted surveys and did research on the current situation. In 1987 when they began their plan, 17,110 individuals and 1,370 families experienced homelessness. During this time, they had been using a “staircase” method to solve homelessness. The staircase method had individuals and families moving up in terms of accommodation after meeting treatment goals, essentially using incentivising methods in order to properly house people. This method worked well, halving the current rates until 1994 when progress slowed. Researchers that looked into the success of this method stated it “can work well with those who have opted for substance abuse rehabilitation and can cope with shared housing. However, the insistence on service users being intoxicant-free and able to take control of their lives has proven to be an insuperable barrier for many homeless people with multiple problems” (Taino and Fredriksson, 2009: 188). Other researchers stated that in order to eliminate homelessness long-term rather than help rehabilitate those who are having substance abuse issues, the Housing First principle is much more valuable. This method uses housing not as a reward, but rather a foundation. Housing First allows a stable and safe place to become your own allowing a safe foundation to build, making it much easier to solve the other problems an individual may be facing. From this research, Finland adopted a new program using the Housing First model. In this program, a person who is homeless would directly go to a rental apartment and there, they have the opportunity to choose between services and support provided. Staff in these supported housing developments treat the people as equals, providing community. However, this approach requires housing. In order to create the housing needed, Finland converted shelters into apartment units and constructed housing specifically for Housing First. So as shelter/hostel beds shrank in numbers, reliable housing for formerly homeless people increased greatly. Programs these people participated in vary in requirements and outcomes, but all helped to decrease homelessness rates.

Although most of the Finnish success in reducing numbers can be attributed to the original staircase method, the Housing First method is creating lasting effects on families and individuals, not just simply reducing numbers by keeping those numbers down for years to come. Additionally, the staircase method worked for the late 1900s and the very early 2000s, but was not successful for our current times. The Housing First method is relevant, lasting, and creates real change.

Implementing this in Kansas City:

So how can the United States implement this? More importantly, how can Kansas City? As stated above, the current Kansas City plan is promising and extensive with many implementation methods and strategies. However, by using Finland’s success and implementing their methods, we can be creating not only a solution to homelessness, but a change in hundreds of lives in Kansas City.

Kansas City has 5 pillars, one of which is Kansas City needs more housing. However, the Zero KC plan is reliant on the shelters to create a temporary housing situation. This doesn’t align with Finland’s research showing a stable living situation promotes change in lifestyle. While the Zero KC Plan provides a well-researched and relevant foundation of the issues Kansas City is facing, its plan can be strengthened by Finland’s research. Another pillar for the Zero KC Plan is that solving homelessness requires investment. Thinking of this pillar, in order to solve homelessness long term, we need to stray from relying on temporary shelter beds and turn these shelters into apartment complexes for the sole purpose of providing real shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Although this will be expensive and time consuming, it will be worth it long-term as Finland’s shows the success of this method. Additionally, this goes along with the pillars the Zero KC plan presents. It gives Kansas City more housing, and it requires investment and time. The only way we can help the hundreds of people experiencing homelessness is to provide them with safe, stable housing specific for their needs. Use the housing alongside the many programs and implementation plans the Zero KC Plan states to not only provide stable housing, but provide change in these individuals lives. Allow them somewhere to come home to as they work on any issues they might be facing. This small but significant change to the Zero KC Plan is absolutely necessary to change the lives of many facing homelessness today.

We implore you, the people of Kansas City, to help build these apartment buildings from the shelters we have. Help create a home for the homeless population in Kansas City. Help provide those without homes with somewhere to sleep, have community, and create a positive influence on themselves and others. It is imperative you take these changes into consideration, take what we can learn from Finland and implement it in Kansas City. It might take time and it might take money, but the effects it will have on Kansas City will outweigh any cost we might have. By signing this petition, you contribute to the fight for proper housing for homeless individuals such as Shelia, a mother of 2 from Springfield who struggled with many health issues and couldn’t properly support both her children when her husband went to jail in 2021. Shelia was being supported by a women’s shelter in Springfield while her children were with their grandmother until she had to have emergency shelter here in Kansas City. After being discharged, The Kitchen’s Emergency Shelter has provided support in all aspects of life. Sheila states she would not be alive without the support of this shelter. Please create a system people like Sheila can rely on. Sign this petition to create somewhere to save lives, save families.

Sources:

Zero KC Plan - KCMO gov. “Zero KC: A Plan for Ending Homelessness in Kansas City” KCMO gov, 2022, https://www.kcmo.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/9034/638016774714170000 Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.

Finland’s Plan - Shinn, Marybeth, and Jill Khadduri. “How Finland Ended Homelessness.” Cityscape, vol. 22, no. 2, 2020, pp. 75–80. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26926894 Accessed 10 Dec. 2025.

Kansas City Point-in-Time Report: Project Homeless Connect Kansas City. "2024 Point In Time Report." 2024. https://projecthomelessconnectkc.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/2024-Point-In-Time-Report.pdf

Harvard Gazette Study: Alvin Powell. “Why It’s so Hard to End Homelessness in America.” Harvard Gazette, 2024. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2024/01/why-its-so-hard-to-end-homelessness-in-america/

KHAN Policy Priorities: Kansas Housing Advocacy Network (KHAN). Take Action to Ensure Sustainable Economic Growth, Increase Housing Security, and End Homelessness. Oct. 2025. https://kshomeless.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2026-KHAN-Policy-Priorities.10.28.25.pdf

Missouri Independent: Mili Mansaray. “Neighborhood Blocks a Low-Barrier Shelter Some See as Key to Solving Homelessness in KC.” 2024. https://missouriindependent.com/2024/05/22/neighborhood-blocks-a-low-barrier-shelter-some-see-as-key-to-solving-homelessness-in-kc/

Sheila’s Story: The Kitchen. “Sheila’s Story – Finding Hope in The Kitchen’s Homeless Shelter.” The Kitchen, Oct. 2022, https://www.thekitcheninc.org/sheilas-story/ Accessed 27 Jan. 2026.

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