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Sarah Wendt, regional coordinator for the Kansas Statewide Homeless Coalition, says stronger coordination among service providers is essential to reducing homelessness in north-central Kansas. Her role focuses on fostering communication among agencies across the region, ensuring a unified approach to prevention and support. Funded agencies are required to attend monthly meetings, while nonfunded groups participate voluntarily and share data through a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-monitored system.

Wendt said homelessness exists throughout the region, though annual winter point-in-time counts often underrepresent the true number of people affected. Larger communities like Salina report hundreds of unhoused individuals, while smaller towns face resource gaps, making “warm handoffs” between agencies critical.

She emphasized that housing alone is not a solution, as many individuals also need health care, mental-health services, or addiction treatment. The coalition is expanding the Built for Zero initiative, using real-time data and collaboration to shift from managing to solving homelessness, with a strong focus on prevention and early intervention.