KSHB 41 reporter Rachel Henderson covers neighborhoods in Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties. Share your story idea with Rachel. She heard about plans to close the Gill Multi-Service Center and went to find why and what people who use its services will do now.
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The Wilhelmina Gill Multi-Service Center has been a lifeline for Kansas City, Kansas, residents for years, especially during harsh winter months.
But now, this vital community resource faces an uncertain future as construction for Kansas City Kansas Community College's downtown campus surrounds the building.
"You got nowhere to go, you come right here," said Cirby Bell, a client who relies on the center's services.
Bell has found more than just shelter at the Wilhelmina Gill Multi-Service Center, known as the Willa Gill Center.
He has a case manager helping him get back on his feet, and the facility has literally been the difference between life and death for him.
"I'm homeless," Bell said.
For Bell, the center provides essential services during the most dangerous weather conditions.
"When it's cold, raining or snow or real below zero and you got nowhere to go, you go right here and you get a good meal, you get a brand new pair of socks," Bell said.
The steady flow of people in and out of the center's doors demonstrates the critical need it serves.
The Wilhelmina Gill Multi-Service Center houses Wyandotte County's cold weather shelter, providing essential services to the community's most vulnerable residents.
"The Willa Gill Center is extremely important to this community because we are the hub that serves our unhoused and homeless community," said Pamela Smart, executive director of Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Corporation.
Mt. Carmel manages the Wilhelmina Gill Multi-Service Center and operates it 365 days a year.
It took over management from Cross-Lines Community Outreach this year.
Hot Lunch Service, Inc. served 275 people at the kitchen on Wednesday and can feed up to 500 people daily.
The cold weather shelter has served 94 people across the four days it has been open this year. It's capacity is for 40 to 50 people.
Smart understands the life-or-death importance of the services they provide.
"I can tell you that it's a heavy lift," she said. "It's much more than what we thought, but it's rewarding to know that we are getting people in out of the cold. I think so often we think about people dying outside when it's bitter cold, but we don't really think about the loss of limbs and how many people lose fingers and toes and things like that because of frostbite."
Construction noise echoes around the building as Kansas City Kansas Community College builds its downtown campus nearby.
The $75 million Kansas City Kansas Community Education, Health and Wellness Center is scheduled for substantial completion in late spring 2026 and classes scheduled to begin that fall.
The college cannot touch the building until the Unified Government finds a new location for the Wilhelmina Gill Multi-Service Center and its outreach programs.
According to Kris Green, vice president of marketing and institutional image for Kansas City Kansas Community College, the college's contract to purchase the property includes a lease back to the Unified Government to oversee the facility and services.
"KCKCC is not part of this decision-making process," Green said in a statement.
The new center represents a partnership between KCKCC, Swope Health, and CommunityAmerica Credit Union as co-owners.
The project is primarily funded through a seven-year capital campaign that includes all partners in the multi-use building.
Mayor Tyrone Garner admits the Unified Government has had two years to find a new location for the center.
The search has proven more challenging than expected.
I spoke with Garner about this issue Wednesday.
Though he's leaving office in a few days, he says he worked to find a location during his term and explained the obstacles they've faced.
"A lot of people just simply don't want those types of facilities in their neighborhood," Garner said. "We thought we had a location picked out, and we started getting some pushback."
The Unified Government had considered locations at James and Central in the West Bottoms and at 51st Srreet and State Avenue. Both fell through due to community concerns and funding issues.
"The commission is just going to have to make a decision with staff and say, this is where we're putting it and move forward, because if we just left it up to certain folks, no location would be a good location," Garner said.
Despite the challenges, Garner sees the relocation as an opportunity for improvement.
"Not to just recreate Willa Gill, but to make something better than what we have now," Garner said.
In his final state of the government address Tuesday, Garner emphasized the urgency of the situation for the incoming administration.
"Let's support our new commission as we find a new and improved location to build a new and improved wraparound services centered Willa Gill Center in our community that population desperately needs right now," Garner said.
Garner wants incoming Mayor Christal Watson and the new commission to make relocating the center a top priority.
"It's very important that this work is done," Smart said.
Smart understands the weight of the situation facing both staff and clients, particularly given the center's strategic location.
"We're centrally located where all the other services are, and if we move too far, then it'll be difficult for them to get to where they need to get their needs met," Smart said. "It's stressful on us to know that we have to move and not really know where our home is."
For clients like Bell, the uncertainty is deeply personal.
"I feel kind of bad because how you gonna take something from the homeless?" Bell said. "This the only place we had to go eat."
The 10,000-square-foot building requires constant coordination. Staff must flip the space continuously to serve as both a cafeteria during lunch and a shelter in the evening.
Case manager Jordyn Hudson, who works with clients like Bell, sees potential in the move despite the challenges.
"I love working here,” Hudson said. "I think it's going to be a very good opportunity to expand to get more programs in place, to really elevate what our mission and vision is in this community."
Green emphasized the broader impact of the college's investment in the community.
"KCKCC and our partners are excited about offering these new opportunities for downtown Kansas City, Kansas," Green said. "Along with the $75 million investment in KCK's urban core, the largest investment in over 30 years, this new facility will offer new employment opportunities for many, attract additional investment in downtown KCK, and offer educational opportunities that will be life-changing for people for multiple generations and breaking the cycle of generational poverty for countless families in the years to come."
Outside the center, construction equipment serves as a constant reminder of the changes ahead.
Inside, staff members hope the center's mission and impact will follow them wherever they eventually relocate.
Facility manager Ondra Penn, who has worked closely with the center's namesake, Wilhelmina Gill, understands the legacy at stake.
‘Willa’ was Gill's nickname.
"She had a passion for serving others and putting others first and meeting them where they are," Penn said. "This has been a centralized location that's been very easy for those that are also homeless to get here and be close to the resources in the community that are necessary for them to connect with."
No matter where they end up, one goal remains.
"We're continuing her legacy that people need more than just a meal," Penn said.
The center is currently available to those in need on nights when the temperature is 25 degrees or below. Guests will be allowed to begin lining up at the shelter at 5:00 PM. Shelter doors open at 6:00 PM.
Click here for more information on warming shelters in the county.
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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