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Weekly Vittle Van: Our volunteers take food out to the homeless in the streets twice every week
- on both Thursday and Sunday evenings. Other organizations in Kansas City, on a mostly regular basis, are
taking out food on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. We stop at 10 - 25 locations
around the Kansas City downtown area, under bridges, along the river and where ever
else we know that we can find homeless in need of a meal. Hot food is provided in the
cold winter months, and sandwiches are the main course in the spring, summer, and fall.
This program reaches 80 to 100 individuals each night that we go out. We usually have with us a supply of
blankets, hats, gloves, socks, hygiene kits, and other essential items needed by
those living on the streets.
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Winter Warmth Kits: Each winter the foundation will buy supplies to assist the homeless
in staying warm and help them get through the cold winter months. The kits will include a
sleeping bag, hat, gloves, socks, canned food, hygiene goods, a bible, and other
items to be determined each year. Through this program, Hope in the Streets provides Warmth Kits
to approximately 30 to 50 individuals each winter. This is the program that started Hope in the Streets
in 2004, and will continue to be a foundational service we provide each year. Getting through the cold
winter months on the streets of Kansas City is a real challenge and a dangerous proposition.
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Home Essentials Fresh Start Kits: Currrently there is a U.S. government grant
that provides housing vouchers to homeless individuals in the Kansas City area. Unfortunately that program doesn't have
the resources to provide the basic living essentials a person needs to get started after they are handed the keys.
Hope In The Streets has stepped in and provides essentials to these individuals, including Bed Sheets, Kitchen Wares,
Towels, Bathroom Supplies, Non-Perishable Food Items, etc. Our Fresh Start Program provides the necessary foundation for
individuals to start living on their own and to become more self-sufficient early on in the transition away from homelessness.
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The Lazarus Program: This program is designed to take homeless individuals, currently dead to their families
and dead to the world, and bring them back to life.
The transformation that homeless candidates will go through is nearly as dramatic as what
Lazarus went through.
Similar to Lazarus laying in the tomb for 4 days, most truly homeless individuals have been in their "tomb" for years,
long forgotten and often an embarrassment to their friends and family. Our foundation will take homeless individuals
that we believe are ready, and sponsor them through a year long transformation process. Through the grace of God,
one by one, we hope these once lost individuals can emerge from their tomb and reunite with their family and society.
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Medical Referral: Through our relationship with
Swope Health Services, our volunteers can refer homeless individuals to local clinics staffed by medical
professionals. The services and benefits available through Swope Health include general medicine, chronic disease
treatment, mental health treatment, as well as drug and alcohol rehabilitation. These
services are free or at a very low cost for qualified homeless individuals.
Food Pantry: Related to the Fresh Start program, we maintain a food pantry that is used to provide
basic food items to individuals who are getting into housing after being on the streets. We accept canned food and
non-perishable items as donations, and we also use donated funds to buy specific items that we know will be
needed.
Small Blessings:
As we deliver meals each week, we see individuals with small but important personal needs that they
otherwise have a difficult time meeting. Examples include shoes or boots, t-shirts or sweatshirts,
bug spray, batteries for lanterns/flashlights, a walking cane, reading glasses, gloves,
jackets, and so on. We can identify important needs such as these, purchase them, and bring these
essentials out the next time we see them. We carefully observe those we are serving, listen to their stories,
and consider what those persons might be going through. The program is personal and selective, and the
recipients have always been thankful for the small blessings they receive.
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