More Than a Place to Sleep: What One Advocate Says Kansas City Gets Wrong About Homelessness
By Paul Cannon
Editor’s Note: The primary interview source in this story is identified by the pseudonym Sarah Mitchell to protect her privacy. ChatGPT generated this pseudonym at the request of the author.
As communities across the Kansas City metro continue to debate how to respond to homelessness, one question remains at the center of the conversation: Are cities solving homelessness, or simply moving it out of public view?
That question has taken on new urgency following the Unified Government of Wyandotte County’s approval of an ordinance prohibiting people from sleeping or camping on public property without authorization. Under the ordinance, individuals found in violation may face fines and possible jail time. Supporters say the measure is intended to improve public safety and connect people with services, while critics argue it risks criminalizing homelessness without addressing its underlying causes.
Among those critics is Sarah Mitchell, a pseudonym for a formerly homeless Kansas City advocate and former foster youth who founded a nonprofit focused on homelessness and volunteerism.
During a recent interview, Mitchell argued that many of the region’s homelessness policies are developed without enough input from people who have experienced homelessness firsthand.
“People with lived experience need to be part of creating the solutions,” she said.
Mitchell said homelessness is often viewed as an isolated issue when it is actually the result of multiple interconnected challenges, including trauma, mental illness, unstable housing, poverty, and gaps in the social safety net.
A System Under Scrutiny
Throughout the interview, Mitchell expressed frustration with what she described as a lack of accountability among some organizations responsible for addressing homelessness.
She questioned whether public dollars are producing measurable results and argued that financial transparency and organizational oversight are essential if communities expect meaningful progress.
Her comments reflect broader public conversations about how homelessness funding is distributed and evaluated. The specific allegations she raised regarding individual organizations have not been independently verified for this article, and those organizations should be given an opportunity to respond before publication.
Lessons From the Pandemic
Mitchell also reflected on emergency housing efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, including the use of hotel rooms to temporarily shelter people experiencing homelessness.
While acknowledging the urgency of the crisis, she argued that emergency hotel placements did not adequately address long-term housing needs.
According to Mitchell, emergency shelter is only one step. Without permanent housing, mental health care, employment opportunities, and ongoing support, she believes many people simply return to homelessness.
Trauma Before Homelessness
One of the strongest themes of the conversation centered on trauma.
Mitchell discussed growing up in foster care and how those experiences shaped her understanding of housing instability. She believes homelessness is frequently connected to childhood trauma, domestic violence, addiction, untreated mental illness, and economic hardship.
The interview also explored the importance of mental health treatment. Drawing from personal experience, the discussion highlighted therapies such as Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), which can help people process traumatic experiences.
Advocates increasingly argue that trauma-informed care should be considered a central part of homelessness policy rather than an afterthought.
Criminalization or Public Safety?
The newly adopted Wyandotte County ordinance has intensified debate over how local governments should respond to visible homelessness.
Supporters contend that camping bans can improve public safety, reduce health hazards, and encourage individuals to seek available services.
Critics counter that enforcement alone cannot solve homelessness if affordable housing, shelter space, mental health care, and addiction treatment remain limited.
Whether the ordinance ultimately reduces homelessness—or simply shifts where people sleep—will likely depend on how it is implemented and whether additional investments accompany enforcement.
Looking Ahead
The conversation with Mitchell raises broader questions that extend beyond one ordinance or one city.
How should communities balance public safety with compassion?
Who should have a seat at the table when homelessness policies are developed?
And perhaps most importantly, how should success be measured: by fewer tents in public spaces, or by fewer people experiencing homelessness in the first place?
As Kansas City and surrounding communities continue searching for answers, those questions are likely to remain at the forefront of the public debate.
One journalistic note: if you’re publishing this, it’s best practice to explain why you’re using a pseudonym (for example, to protect the source from retaliation or to preserve privacy). That transparency helps readers understand your decision while maintaining the source’s confidentiality.