Homeless advocates fear sequester cuts could cost lives

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Recent sequester cuts could mean a loss of millions of dollars for Kansas and Missouri housing.

According to Save, Inc., the cuts to housing for the needy could be up to $1.5 million in Kansas, impacting about 600 families. In Missouri, the nonprofit organization anticipates cuts of $ 3.5 million, leaving nearly 2,000 families having to find other means.

Save, Inc. CEO Zori Rodriguez said the cuts mean much more than balancing the budget.

"I don't think that the people who are making decisions are thinking about the possibility that a decision they've made could lead to people losing their lives," Rodriguez said.

Save, Inc. client Susan Gardner spent 10 years living on the streets before getting connected with the organization. For the last 13 years she's been living in an a Save, Inc. apartment. She says the cuts could force her back out on the streets.

"They got to understand, they're putting people who have nothing already, out there with less," Gardner said. "I'm not trying to say the government's bad. I'm just saying there's got to be another way."