NONPROFIT

Forty Years of Serving Kansas City.

This year marks reStart Inc.’s 40th anniversary helping the homeless in Kansas City. But what started in a church as a shelter for single men has evolved over time as the number of people experiencing homelessness has grown and demographics have changed, says reStart President Stephanie Boyer.

“reStart has been an agency that’s shifted to meet the needs of those different populations over the years,” she said. “It expanded to today to provide services for single adults, men, and women; families; unaccompanied youth; transition-age youth; veterans; LGBTQ individuals – really, everyone.” A CONTINUUM OF SERVICES

reStart currently offers emergency shelter for single adults and a dedicated shelter program for families, both of which are available for up to several months to ease stress, introduce stability, and help individuals enter permanent housing. It provides rental and utility assistance, legal services, child care, and more, to veterans and their families. And the organization also offers the metro’s only emergency youth shelter for those ages 12 to17 and transitional living program for youth ages 16 to 21 who have no safe home to return to. “Our work really happens now over an entire continuum,”

“The biggest barrier really is the lack of affordable housing.”

Boyer explained. Wraparound services are an important part of that continuum, and clients in reStart programs are served by staff therapists, substance abuse counselors, a housing and employment specialist, and numerous case managers who assist them in developing individualized, strengths-based plans. reStart also does street outreach, with staff working to connect with people who are sleeping in encampments, vacant buildings, cars, and under bridges. Teams try to get them into shelters but also provide help and case management that will link them to the services they need regardless of their location. Street outreach is important yearround, Boyer said, but in the winter months, reStart ramps up how frequently it’s paying visits, making sure people have items they need to try to stay warm and providing education about what the beginning of frostbite looks like.

COMMUNITY SOLUTIONS

reStart serves around 2,500 people annually through its programs, but there are many others who the organization isn’t able to help because of a lack of resources.

“We simply cannot meet all the need with our current level of staffing or finances,” Boyer explained. “We end up having to turn a lot of people away – we would love to be in a place where we don’t have to do that and to be able to have solutions for people.”

Monetary donations are always appreciated, along with donated items like sheets, towels, and blankets, which clients use while they’re sheltering at reStart and will often take with them when they’re able to move to a more permanent home.

Boyer also encourages Kansas Citians to consider volunteering, which allows staff to both support the organization and hear people’s stories.

“There are a lot of different life circumstances that happen to people that can lead them into needing a place to stay,” Boyer says, adding that there are many myths about homelessness, including that it’s a result of drug or alcohol abuse and that people experiencing homelessness are unemployed.

“The biggest barrier really is the lack of affordable housing,” she says. “We see people struggle to get out of the shelter simply because they cannot find housing that they can actually afford.”

Many people in reStart’s programs are working, but securing permanent housing is a challenge when rent often requires such a significant portion of their income. All it might take is a sudden crisis, like a health emergency or lost job, to dramatically change a person’s living situation, according to Boyer.

“As a community, we have to come together to start working on real solutions,” she says. “Sort of ‘Band-Aiding’ people every day isn’t getting us anywhere.”

So what might a solution look like? Boyer says public and private developers could come together to build more income-based housing. Expanding housing vouchers could also make a big difference.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Housing Choice Vouchers Program is the federal government’s major program for assisting low-income families. It allows participants to find housing anywhere

Many people in reStart’s programs are working, but securing permanent housing is a challenge when rent often requires such a significant portion of their income. All it might take is a sudden crisis, like a health emergency or lost job, to dramatically change a person’s living situation.

the owner will rent to them under the program, which pays the landlord a subsidy on behalf of the renters. Participants are then responsible for paying the remaining cost.

Boyer said the Housing Authority of Kansas City, Missouri, currently has 11,000 people on the voucher waitlist, but the city could create a similar voucher program on a local level to help meet current needs.

“Without a voucher or being able to get into an income-based apartment, it’s really challenging,” Boyer says. “That’s why we see so many people kind of get stuck in homelessness, which then leads to chronic homelessness. We don’t want people to have to get to that status.

“I think as a community, we really have to focus on how we’re creating more affordable housing options so we have lots of different exit paths for people coming out of shelter; or if they’re at risk of homelessness, they have a more affordable option to move into.”

To learn more about reStart, including how to volunteer or make a donation to the organization, visit restartinc.org.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelsey Cipolla is a local writer, editor, and social media specialist. Kelsey has covered everything from the Kansas City culinary scene to home design, health, fitness trends, hidden gems, and nonprofit in the Kansas City community.

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