People experiencing homelessness await forced removal at City Hall, Westport camps
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KANSAS CITY, Missouri (KCTV) — Organizers, advocates, and people staying at two homeless encampments in Kansas City are waiting for the city’s next step in deciding the future of the sites.
City officials ordered people to leave the camps in Westport and outside of KC City Hall before Monday because of public health and safety issues, but people have not left.
Luke Lindsey, a KC native, has been staying at the Westport encampment, Camp 6ixx, since February. He says he’s felt safe during his longest homeless situation; Lindsey is used to sleeping on concrete or in unsafe areas.
“I see me obtaining a home, employment, and also I may be able to go teach others that are in my family going through hard times that things could be better only if they’re willing to fight that, fight that demon, fight the addiction,” said Lindsey who shared details of how religion is helping him overcome addiction.
Amanda Eisenmann, organizer for Midwest Homeless Collective says city officials stopped by the site Monday morning. Officials once again warned people to leave but, instead of following through with promises of arrests, cleaned up trash and left.
“It’s been hectic, it’s been stressful, it’s been traumatic preparing what could potentially be the removal of everyone’s belongings and the threatened arrests,” said Eisenmann.
The city issued a statement with a three-pronged approach to direct city action with non-profit partners and create long-term solutions, starting with immediate needs.
The services the city offers were not much help for Stephanie Davis, whose brother has been homeless on and off for nearly five years, following incarceration.
“There are so many different barriers to getting in, getting beds, and getting jobs. I think people see these things, like camps, and are just like ‘Go get a job! Go find somewhere to live!’ and it’s not that easy,” explained Davis.
Davis says the city resources are hard to navigate, restrictive at times, and unhelpful in providing full-time housing options.
Organizers and people at both encampments say they have no plans to leave the sites as the city requested.
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