KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It sounds admirable: groups of people dropping off clothes or serving food at a local park for the homeless. But local service providers say it’s actually hurting the homeless.
The providers said donations of this kind are a problem the agencies have fought to keep out for years at Margaret Kemp Park. But they fear it’s getting worse and could get pretty bad as summer approaches.
Jose Rodriguez, a 57-year-old homeless man, said he found a pair of shoes inside a trash bin at the park that’s full of other donations — freshly dropped off by someone that morning.
Rodriguez, who has been homeless a little more than a month, said he’s gotten used to these donations, especially on the weekends. He said that’s when different churches and individuals drop off clothes or serve food to the homeless on a pretty large scale.
“They make us barbecue, barbecue hamburgers and they donate clothes, socks and things like that, and that’s a great help for homeless people,” said Rodriguez.
But these food and clothing donations are exactly what Evie Craig wants to stop. Craig is the Executive Director of ReStart, a homeless and low-income service provider across the street from the park. Craig said there’s not any one church or person that keeps dropping off items.
“My plea to these individuals is, ‘You mean well, but frankly you’re ending up doing harm to people,'” Craig said.
She said these donations are left in the park as trash if nobody wants it. She also said they are creating a distraction for the homeless. For example, she said there are so many feeding programs and because food is so important to someone who is homeless, they are kept away from applying for jobs, getting benefits or housing. Craig also says these events are attracting a lot of people, some who are dangerous.
“We just had something witnessed a couple of weeks ago where a young girl was here with a backpack. She was being accosted by some would-be sexual traffickers who knew they could come here and find folks who are being drawn by free items,” said Craig.
Rodriguez said he’s not looking for constant handouts. In fact, he said he wants a job. But just now, the donations are welcome.
“For me, it was a good thing to find me my shoes and some clothes,” he said.
The service providers, along with Kansas City, Missouri police, say they are discussing whether the city can create an ordinance prohibiting this type of donation drop-off or require the groups to get a license to serve food.
