Residents press council on homelessness; Wichita accepts $280,000 Kwik Trip donation to fund street outreach

Several public speakers urged the City Council to address homelessness with urgency. William Tipton, who identified himself as unhoused, described obstacles to shelter access and said people are sometimes moved rather than connected with housing. Council members and the mayor responded by emphasizing the Second Light multi-agency campus and wraparound services: Housing Director Sally Stang said the campus is roughly 90% complete and agencies will begin moving in next week, and described a recently initiated project to add 75 units (25 non-congregate shelter; 50 permanent supportive housing) with completion expected in early 2027.

Council members acknowledged limits on local authority (state preemption on rent control) and stressed trust-building with people experiencing homelessness, noting hot-team outreach and partnerships across departments. Several members urged more transparency and stronger vendor/contract management in unrelated items, reflecting heightened public concern about stewardship of public funds.

In a separate but related action, the Housing Department presented a $280,000 donation from Kwik Trip to seed a street outreach and housing-navigation pilot. The funds will cover two professional housing specialists and two peer support specialists who will coordinate with Wichita Police Department's outreach team and community providers to move unsheltered people into housing programs (tenant-based rental assistance, rapid rehousing, vouchers). The donation must be spent by 2026-12-31 and was accepted by council; the authorization also added the four temporary positions to the Housing Department roster. Council approved acceptance and position authorization unanimously (7-0).