A woman slept in the snow as storm hit KC. Homeless shelter says they need more help
When 27-year-old Eliah woke up on the sidewalk Wednesday morning, everything from her fingers to her elbows was frozen.
She had slept on the ground near Virginia Avenue and 7th Street with only a blanket as temperatures dropped to 15 degrees and up to 4 inches of snow began to fall on Kansas City.
Buried under the cloud of white, her body fused with the concrete that she had clung to for warmth.
As Doug Langner, executive director of Hope Faith, approached the day shelter at 6 a.m., he thought she might be dead.
“There was no movement and she literally was on the sidewalk with a blanket over her,” he said.
But when he pulled back her blanket, revealing nothing but the pavement below her, he realized she was alive and had been there all night.
About a dozen other people were lined up outside waiting for the homeless shelter Hope Faith operates, the only one of its kind in Kansas City, to open its doors.
“There were about 12 people in a row that we were triaging and I had to literally pick her up because she was getting that cold,” he said.
He helped her off the ground and brought her indoors.
As Kansas City grapples with another winter storm, hundreds have been left searching for a place to keep warm while organizations struggle to keep up with the demand.
This isn’t something that can be changed overnight, Langner said. But until the issue of affordable housing is addressed, it’s going to take will and partnership on the local level to make a difference.
‘I had no shelter’
Eliah moved from Los Angeles to Kansas City at a young age and by age 19, had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Though the disorder is genetic, she does not know anyone in her family who is schizophrenic.
A Kansas City hospital gave her treatment to quiet the voices in 2017, she said, but it altered her mood and made her feel strange. She has not received care for her condition since.
Over the past decade, she has been living on and off the streets of Kansas City.
Eliah could not remember when she started sleeping on the street, but said over the past few summers she would find herself wandering Kansas City without a place to go.
“I wouldn’t know why I was outside and I had no shelter,” she said.
As recently as Tuesday, she had been living with her sister. But the two got into a fight and Eliah left.
She said dealing with the voices in her head is a constant battle. They make her feel annoyed and afraid, leading her to say hurtful things.
“I’m not in control sometimes of what comes out of my mouth ... But all I know is what I can hear,” she said.
Eliah did not know there would be a winter storm Tuesday night.
An overflow shelter for the Kansas City Women’s Center on East Fifth Street and Troost Avenue was at capacity, so she walked to Hope Faith, which was closed. She slept outside overnight, clinging to a blanket for warmth as snow covered the streets.
“It’s mind blowing,” she said. “The wind was blowing so hard it just knocked your head off your shoulders.”
“I hadn’t slept the whole night and then as soon as the morning came I became drowsy and I couldn’t get up. I couldn’t move ... And that’s when I was like ‘I got to get up.’”
Eliah said they gave her breakfast and a cup of coffee at Hope Faith. She showered and received warm blankets that she could take with her.
Despite wanting to stay at Hope Faith, Eliah will have to find another shelter to rest in Wednesday night as temperatures likely dip into the single digits. Langner said he planned to connect her with a case manager that would help find a place for her to stay.
She said wants to see more shelters in Kansas City, but until then she does not know what to do.
“I don’t have anywhere to go ... It’s like I don’t even exist and no one cares for me. And that’s a scary feeling ... So I guess I’m just going to be walking.”
Need on the rise
The number of people seeking help from Hope Faith has nearly doubled from January 2021.
Many walk into the shelter multiple times a day, which led to about 2,600 visits from people without a warm place to go at the beginning of last year. As of January 2022, the number of visits rose to 4,459.
The relaxing of COVID-19 protocols has contributed to the rise in visits, but in large part, there’s just more people in need, Langner said.
“We have received some funding, but I would not say that it has been enough to keep up with the increase in those seeking assistance,” said Cristi Smith, director of operations at Hope Faith.
Grants have helped fund food, coats and gloves. But none have helped pay for the employees keeping the shelter running.
“Everybody wants to pay for the food, but nobody wants to pay for the chef or the cooks,” Langner said.
Nearly 10,000 meals were served by Hope Faith last month.
Langner met with city manager Brian Platt Monday afternoon about receiving short-term funding from the city to prevent layoffs and to keep the shelter open.
“What I’m telling staff and the city and anyone who will listen: We have a responsibility ... If people can make it through the night, they can come during the day to get services,” Langner said.
On Wednesday evening, Platt said in an email to The Star that he needs more information on what Hope Faith needs to determine what a partnership with the city would look like.
This winter, the city launched a new extreme weather plan to help people experiencing homelessness.
When there is a daytime high of 32 degrees and overnight temperatures dip below 20 degrees, the city will open overflow centers for those without a place to go. The centers hold about 100 people and they need a referral from a shelter.
Kansas City Parks and Recreation has four community centers serving as warming shelters during the day and into Wednesday night as a part of the city’s plan.
People can also access warming buses at a number of locations when the temperature falls below 10 degrees on Thursday and Friday.
Those in need of clothes, blankets and other supplies can pick up items at 1700 East 8th Street, where donations are also accepted.
The city also has a dashboard that tracks available beds at shelters.
As of Wednesday evening, there were no available beds for single women.
