One of the key functions that KCRHA holds in our community is to oversee Coordinated Entry (CE). This is the process we use to equitably distribute the limited housing resources we have in our homelessness response system. When an individual or family connects to CE, their needs will be assessed, their preferences evaluated, and they will enter the pool of households waiting to be placed into the best housing resource for their current situation. 

This “activate as needed” approach to severe weather is a result of needing to make a limited budget stretch as far as possible, but it produces a high degree of exhaustion and burnout among staff. It can also create confusion among people seeking shelter, as what shelters are available is dependent on the level of activation, the availability of the space, and staffing capacity. Because of these challenges, KCRHA has been advocating for seasonal shelters —  shelters that stay open during severe weather seasons.

Individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness come from a plethora of backgrounds and have varied and unique immediate and long-term needs. If we are to meet the needs of our unhoused community members to move them indoors and into safe and stable housing, our solutions also need to be varied.  

Our bodies are dynamic. They adapt over time to the environments we’re in. According to the CDC, it takes about two weeks to fully acclimatize to a hotter environment. As we acclimatize to heat, our bodies become more efficient and effective at cooling down by adapting our heart rate and core temperature, how we sweat, and bringing more of our blood to the skin to allow heat to transfer out of our bodies.  

Our community is in dire need of more emergency and transitional sheltering options such as Tiny House Villages (THVs), micro-modular villages, RV and Vehicle Residency Safe Lots, and sanctioned tent cities to respond to our ongoing homelessness crisis. We have heard the members of our community, both unhoused and housed, calling for increases in these resources.  

The Regional Homelessness Authority plays a county-wide coordinating role, convening partners, calling for additional space to be opened, and gathering and sharing information when severe weather hits.

It’s hard to get homework done when you don’t have a home. It’s hard to focus in class and on schoolwork with the anxiety of not knowing where you’ll sleep that night, what you’ll have to eat, when and where you can wash, and whether the other students and teachers are looking down on you and your family. Students experiencing homelessness often go without basic needs like regular meals and clean clothes. What if your homework requires internet access? Or even something as simple as a table to do your work at?