During the holiday season, we are usually thankful for our families, and having a roof over our heads.  Not everyone is so lucky.  For various reasons, there are many who do not have a place to stay.  Kansas City is trying to help many in that situation.

An old Days Inn hotel in Kansas City will be converted into transitional housing for those experiencing homelessness. The Kansas City City Council approved the plan earlier this month to allocate $400,000 to create a “Housing Navigation Center” through a partnership with Lotus Care House.

The former Days Inn at 5100 E. Linwood Blvd. will soon be repurposed to create 39 rooms for people experiencing homelessness, with an emphasis on those 55 and older, single women, those with medical concerns and the LGBTQ+ community. The plan for the center includes wrap around services for residents, including health care, housing placement assistance and social services.  You can read a bit more HERE about this story.

My first experience with seeing a homeless person was when I visited New York City during Spring Break of my senior year of high school.  I saw people playing crates, and buckets, and various instruments to try and make some money.  I saw people living in boxes, tents, etc.  I felt sorry for many of them.  I was grateful for my family.

In my hometown, there are still some who suffer from homelessness.  And not too far from where I was raised, there is a man who is known as Naperville's Homeless Man.  Click HERE for info on him, because I do not think he has to be homeless, he has chosen to be, as a protest that has gone on for a long time.  You can click HERE also for a video on what happened to his stuff 5 years ago.

There are many in this country that are suffering.  Some of them, it is their own doing. Drugs, alcohol, etc.  Some have no family.  Some had financial problems that snowballed and lost their homes.  It is nice to see Kansas City attempting to help those who can use it.  I wonder if Sedalia could do the same thing with the American Inn.  Give people a second chance.

LOOK: 50 photos of American life in 2020

More From KIX 105.7