Mission :

reStart Inc. is an interfaith ministry with homeless persons committed to providing shelter and supportive services to homeless men, women, youth and families with the goal of helping them move toward independence and self-sufficiency and ending homelessness in our community.

reStart Inc. is the outgrowth of an overnight emergency shelter established by an inter-faith group in 1981 at Grand Avenue Temple United Methodist Church in downtown Kansas City. A non-profit corporation for the purpose of serving homeless persons was created in 1984. reStart provides more than 110,000 bed nights of emergency, transitional and permanent shelter to approximately 11,000 homeless men, women, families with children and unaccompanied youth..

 

reStart operates the following programs on behalf of homeless individuals and families:

Overnight Emergency Shelter: A warm place to sleep and a nutritious meal for 33 women and 60 men.

Family Shelter: Room and board for 10 families, including counseling, case management and children's programs. Emphasis is placed on moving families into housing as quickly as possible and working with parents to help them obtain employment or pursue their education.

Transitional Living: Room and board for up to 24 months for a maximum capacity of 36 single adults and a maximum capacity of 38 families with children, including counseling and case management.

Youth Emergency Shelter: Emergency shelter and support services provided for 10 youth ages 12 - 18.

Youth Transitional Living: Room and board and support services provided for 4 youth for up to 24 months.

Street Outreach Services (S.O.S.): Staff "hits the streets" to engage homeless teens, or teens that are at-risk or homelessness, providing snacks, clothing, hygiene kits, opportunity for shelter, and referrals to community agencies. "Teen Talk" meetings are held at Kansas City Public Libraries to further engage the youth.

Permanent Supportive Housing: Permanent housing and customized supportive services provided on-site at A New Start, a 21-unit complex and the Vocational Living Center, a 12-unit complex for chronically homeless adults.  Truman Medical Center’s Behavioral Health Network’s Assertive Community Outreach team provides assessment and screening, outreach case management, and psychiatric treatment.

Housing Solutions Center: The HSC provides services focused on moving newly-homeless persons rapidly into new housing or helping prevent families in trouble from becoming homeless at all. reStart also is the lead sponsor in Kansas City for the national 100,000 Homes initiative, providing case management services to move the community's chronically homeless families and individuals into permanent housing.

Economic Development: Hands-on training to help homeless people acquire jobs by providing on-site employment to current and immediate past residents. Participants are offered promotional opportunities and some have moved up the ranks to become members of our management team. reStart residents are also eligible to participate in our two preferred-referrals programs for employment - an agreement with the Full Employment Council and a program with UPS places individuals in meaningful jobs with job coaches.

Supportive Services: Health care; educational assistance; chemical dependency support groups; life skills classes; housing assistance; and HIV/AIDS care.

Mental Health Services: Four full-time and one part –time licensed therapists are available to provide assessment and counseling to youth, families and adults

Healthy Starts: A Health Educator and Health Benefits Advocate provide a range of programs and services designed to help residents access health care and promote healthy lifestyles.

Kansas City Project Hope (Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing):reStart is the lead agency for the Northeast Service Center. Based out of the Homeless Services Center located at 1444 E. 8th Street, reStart is one of four designated sites for the City of Kansas City, Missouri’s HPRP contract. In partnership with Don Bosco Center and Guadalupe Centers, reStart anticipates providing homeless prevention and rapid rehousing services to more than 700 households.