KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.
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A decades-old motel on Main Street in Kansas City, Missouri, is getting a makeover and will become a homeless shelter, offering hope to families in need of stable housing.
The building, purchased by local nonprofit reStart, will give shelter to 44 families experiencing homelessness.
reStart plans to open the shelter in April.
The organization's CEO, Stephanie Boyer, said the expansion represents a significant step forward in addressing the community's housing crisis and will triple the number of families they can serve.
"This is where we're supposed to be," Boyer said.
She says the need is urgent.
ReStart turned away 600 families last year, and Boyer said the number of children experiencing homelessness has reached levels she has never seen before.
"We have so many children living outside in our community, right?" Boyer said. "This is the first time that there have been so many children living in vehicles, living in tents outside and staying in hotels. Kids staying in cars and staying outside, that should never be okay."
Boyer described situations the organization encounters regularly.
"Parent and child sleeping in the trunk of a car at night while the rest of the family sleeps in the rest of the car," she said. "These are real stories and real things that are happening in our community that people just don't see every day."
For Carla Mayes, reStart's services have been life changing. She lived in a hotel room for two months, unsure how she would pay for another night after losing her job.
"I wasn't going to be able to pay for my room going forward that night," Mayes said. "And I was a little nervous about that. I was just stressed out a lot."
Mayes said she was spending most of her income on the hotel room, leaving little for other necessities.
When reStart stepped in to help, Mayes said she could finally relax.
"I was just like able to breathe because I knew that they had my best interests at heart," she said. "I'm able to go to work every day without worrying about where I was going to sleep at."
After just over a month in the program, Mayes was able to get her own housing.
The transformation of the Main Street building hasn't been without community concerns. Some neighbors have expressed mixed feelings about the shelter's location.
"The challenges that folks might be facing with folks who might be living unsheltered and living on the street, when folks have a place to go, we alleviate those things."
Boyer emphasized that the shelter will actually improve the neighborhood.
"Folks are not going to notice anything different here than what they noticed when there was a hotel staying here," she said. "It'll probably actually be quieter and calmer than what it was when it was a hotel staying."
Some community members are enthusiastic about the initiative. A worker at a nearby shop said they were excited when they learned about the shelter plans.
"We didn't know what they were going to do with it. And when we heard that there was going to be a homeless shelter, we got really excited," an employee at a nearby business said."It's really disheartening to see so many people struggling. And it's really nice that we're going to be able to do something in this city to kind of help. It will be wonderful, because it's going to feel like they are in an apartment.
Boyer said the organization frequently witnesses the transformative impact of stable housing on families.
"We often see as folks move in, like the weight is lifted off their shoulders, like they can breathe again," Boyer said.
Boyer believes the community needs to come together to support vulnerable residents.
"I think we just have to start viewing each other as fellow Kansas Citians and like, let's just be here to lift each other up. And that's all folks need," she said. "Folks just need a little hand up, and just time, a little place to be safe and to start rebuilding their lives."
For Mayes, reStart provided more than just shelter – it offered a fresh start. When she has since moved into her own place, it made room for another family to benefit from the program.
"Not only do they help you get a place, they give you a second chance," Mayes said. "Look at me. I'm back on my own. I'm happy. I'm healthy."
Mayes encourages others in similar situations to seek help.
"Don't be scared to ask for help because you never know what can happen in the end when you do ask for help," she said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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