FACES OF HOMELESSNESS
Eliminating homelessness for youth and families
H O ME L E S S N E S S TAS K F OR C E OF GR E AT ER KA NSA S C ITY
O
n any given night in the
Kansas City metropolitan
area, thousands of children
and youth lack a home.
Children and their families and
unaccompanied youth may
sleep under bridges, in cars or
abandoned buildings, or on a
friend’s sofa.
According to area school
districts, more than 7,000
students in grades K–12 in the
nine-county Kansas City metro
area were homeless during the
2011–2012 school year.
A large proportion of homeless
students were reported to be in
families that were doubled-up —
living with other families — and
without a home of their own.
7,470
HOMELESS
STUDENTS K–12
Homeless students grades K–12
County
School Year
‘09–‘10
‘10–’11
‘11–’12
Cass
224
320
309
Clay
847
682
637
Jackson
2,388
2,885
3,316
Johnson
746
902
1,161
Leavenworth
416
556
511
Miami
156
93
115
Platte
174
228
234
not available
not available
not available
Wyandotte
1,397
1,567
1,187
TOTAL
6,348
7,233
7,470
Ray
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations
Kansas Department of Education
Districts with most homeless students
School District
Kansas City, Missouri
Students
School District
1,101 Fort Osage
Students
250
Kansas City, Kansas
971 Hickman Mills
248
Independence
927 Gardner-Edgerton
199
Olathe
509 Raytown
180
Leavenworth
499 Harrisonville
160
North Kansas City
371 Turner
151
Shawnee Mission
292 Liberty
148
‘11–’12 school year
Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Educations
Kansas Department of Education
More homeless families
While the education system captures data on school-age children and youth,
local data on infants and toddlers is incomplete. National data, however,
consistently shows that half of the children that are homeless are under
school ages, suggesting that thousands more young children are living
without a home. In fact, the typical homeless family is made up of a
homeless mother with two children under the age of five.
These families are extremely poor with income significantly
below poverty level. The mother has limited earning power
with low job skills and often has been working sporadically
at a low-wage service job. The mother frequently has limited
education and is often overwhelmed at the prospect of
arranging for child care.
Not since the Great Depression have so many families been
without homes. More than 180 agencies serving
the homeless and precariously housed in the
Kansas City area found that *34,128 families
FAMILY HOMELESSNESS IS THE
benefited from social services during a threeFASTEST GROWING HOMELESS
month period during the summer of 2012.
*MAAC-link, June 1–Aug. 31, 2012
POPULATION IN THE NATION.
Housing and service interventions are in short supply
There is a severe shortage of permanent
shelter and transitional housing programs
to serve families with children and youth
experiencing homelessness. Fewer than 2,300
emergency beds, transitional housing units
and permanent housing units for families
with children are available in the metro area’s
five largest counties. Just over 100 emergency
shelter beds, transitional housing units and
permanent housing units are set aside for
unaccompanied youth.
Families with
Children
Unaccompanied
Youth
Emergency
Shelter Beds
484
40
Transitional
Housing Units
842
59
Permanent
Housing Units
962
(including 50
for HIV)
12
TOTAL
2,288
111
The existing homeless assistance system is
Homeless services coalitions serving the Kansas City metro area
largely designed for adults. Local nonprofit
organizations lack sufficient capacity to offer
early intervention and prevention or residential stability to the majority of families and
youth who need it. Shelters, housing projects and other assistance providers often do not
understand the needs of homeless families and youth, and may lack the resources to provide
the necessary interventions.
Resources
Hotline for the Homeless
(816) 474-4599
KidsTLC SOS Hotline
(913) 324-3619
National Domestic Violence
Hotline
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
Safe Place Area
QuikTrip stores,
libraries and fire
stations offer 24hour safety for youth
in crisis.
Synergy Services Domestic
Violence Hotline
816-HOTLINE (468-5463)
Synergy Services 24-Hour Youth
Crisis Hotline
816-741-8700
United Way Help Line
211 (TTY and multilingual
services are also available)
KidsTLC’s Street Outreach Services
guides hopeless teen to bright future
By Josh Henges
John was raised in a cycle of poverty and drugs. His
father was incarcerated for drug trafficking and his
abusive mother neglected him and his younger siblings
while trying to cope with everyday tasks. He and his
younger brother were often left for days without food or
clean clothes.
While John tried to stay in school, the stress and neglect
caught up to him and he began running with the wrong
crowd, skipping school and experimenting with drugs
and alcohol. He quickly developed a serious substanceabuse problem, and after failing every class, he dropped
out of school and ended up homeless.
As John grew older, he became more and more
frustrated with his lifestyle. He watched his younger
brother follow his same destructive path and decided
he needed to make a change. SOS helped John with that
process by providing intensive case management and
the resources he needed to get a job, secure housing and
enroll in a high school completion program.
John now lives in his own apartment, works full-time
and is only eight credits away from a high school
diploma. He is now the role model for his younger
brother that he has always wanted to be.
John said he had always felt alone and like no one
cared about his well-being. KidsTLC gave him the
extra support he needed and helped guide him onto a
successful path for his future.
Josh Henges, Street Outreach Specialist
KidsTLC SOS Hotline: (913)324-3619
KidsTLC SOS works in collaboration with street outreach programs from
reStart, Inc., and Synergy Services.
H O ME L E S SN ESS TASK FORCE OF GREATER KANSAS CITY
Due to the sensitive nature of this subject,
some photos are stock images.
12/2012
Supported through generous donations from: John W. and Effie E. Speas Memorial
Trust, Bank of America, Trustee; Hall Family Foundation; Health Care Foundation of
Greater Kansas City; H&R Block Foundation and the William T. Kemper Foundation.
Mid-America Regional Council
600 Broadway, Suite 200 | Kansas City, MO 64105 | marc.org/community/htf