A new center for the unhoused to open in eastern Jackson County

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - More than a hundred people were experiencing homelessness in Eastern Jackson County during the last point-in-time count, and those individuals are at risk of freezing to death during this current winter cold snap.

Community Services League has been involved in housing since 1916, and recently they took another step towards helping those vulnerable individuals by opening a Drop-In Center located on Blue Ridge Boulevard at the Good Shepherd Community of Christ facility.

Lynn Rose is the Chief Program Officer at CSL and is overseeing those efforts.

“What we really want it to be is a place where people who are outdoors can come, connect with our team of case managers,” Rose said. “They can connect to housing opportunities, housing resources, but really also just a place for respite to, you know, human-to-human connection and really tell their stories and find out about resources that are available to them for either temporary or permanent shelter.”

On Thursday, the center had extended hours from 9 am to 4 pm, but normally the drop-in center will operate Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10 am and 2 pm.

Panera donated bread and a warm meal to the center on Thursday. CSL also distributed coats, stocking caps, hand warmers and hygiene products.

“We connect people to a lot of resources, whether it’s other types of shelters that are operating in Kansas City, hotel vouchers or just other creative ways to get people indoors,” Rose said.

CSL wants to expand the facility before the end of the year to include offices, laundry services and opportunities for guests to shower.

“Those are two services that are really hard to find for persons who are living unhoused, just an opportunity to get clean and take care of their personal hygiene in a safe place, where they don’t have to rush,” Rose said. “We’ve just started here. We fully intend to grow out to offer those hygiene and laundry services, hopefully by the end of 2025.”

The address of the drop-in center is 4341 Blue Ridge Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64133.