Staying “Home” Without a Home

What happens when the law prohibits you from leaving the home you don’t have? From receiving meals and services outdoors to quarantining in a nearby hotel, guests of Hope Faith - Homeless Assistance Campus have been forced to adhere to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders without having a home to stay in. This is why Hope Faith, Kansas City’s Homeless Assistance Campus, moved all services [aside from indoor private showers] outdoors creating Kansas City’s home without a home now throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“Hope Faith is home for hundreds if not thousands of Kansas Citians without a home. We [Hope Faith] served over 6,000 unique guests last year, half of whom declared Hope Faith as their home address. We cannot leave people stranded without food, water, and resources to overcome their current situation. We are here to partner with people on their next step and for a lot of people, that simply means surviving this pandemic right now,” explains Hope Faith Executive Director, Jaysen Van Sickle. 

Hope Faith not only provides a home during the day for many families, seniors, veterans and other individuals but also a community they can rely on when so much is left uncertain. This is why it’s important that, while other area agencies close, Hope Faith remains open. “With the libraries and so many other agencies closed, our guests need to know we are here; they can still feed their families and access important hygiene during these times.”

Thanks to many community partners such as Operation BBQ, Veteran’s Community Project and Heart to Heart International, Hope Faith has continued serving meals and providing health care, case management, outdoor facilities, hygiene stations and continued community throughout Virginia Avenue, the street just west of Hope Faith’s 47,000 square foot building. 

“We are so grateful for the support of Kansas City throughout this pandemic and know we have a long journey ahead as more KC residents lose their paychecks and housing. We want to serve anyone who needs us, that’s why we’re here. We also know sustaining these additional operations will require additional funding,” says Van Sickle. 

With the new tax incentives announced for 2020, this is a great time to support our more vulnerable community members. Anyone wanting to support Hope Faith and the people of Kansas City can do so at HopeFaith.org/Donate.