In 2024, 770,000 people were experiencing homelessness in the United States—an 18% increase from 2023. This is almost 1 million people without homes. And while policymakers from every level of government—federal to local—are working on solutions, we continue to underfund the one solution that would end the homeless epidemic: more housing. The reasons behind this...Read More

Homelessness is a widespread issue affecting both rural and urban communities across the United States, with over 650,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night, and many more that remain uncounted. This population includes a disproportionate number of veterans, youth, minorities and individuals with disabilities, underscoring systemic failures that contribute to homelessness. This crisis is...Read More

On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court overturned HB 1606, a bill with language that Empower Missouri advocated against during the 2022 session. Our advocacy, among many others, helped to shape the lawsuit, Byrd v State of Missouri, that led to Tuesday’s decision. Because of the work by Empower Missouri, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, Eden...Read More

Empower Missouri strongly condemns President Trump’s Executive Order (EO) on “Ending Crime & Disorder on America’s Streets.” The order is riddled with misleading statements, prejudicial language, and outright lies about our neighbors who are unhoused. We seek to correct this misinformation and encourage our partners to stand ready to mitigate, and then be prepared to...Read More

This November, our Anti-Poverty Advocates Summit will feature Andrea Elliott, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Invisible Child, as one of our keynote speakers. Our staff has been reading (or re-reading) Invisible Child in preparation, and we are excited to delve deeper into the book and the implications of Dasani’s story. Today our Communications Manager,...Read More

This month represents the start of a new fiscal year for Empower Missouri, and the start of a new strategic plan. The new plan was created using the insights and ideas of hundreds of community partners, board members, staff members, and other Empower Missouri stakeholders, and I couldn’t be more excited about the journey that...Read More

Empower Missouri condemns the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruling in Johnson v the City of Grants Pass. The heart of the case centered on the question: “Is it considered cruel and unusual punishment to ticket, fine, or arrest people who are sleeping outdoors, even if there are no shelter options available?” In...Read More

Last week, I offered testimony against a pair of bills in the Missouri House and Senate aimed at reducing homelessness. I first celebrated with the sponsors and the committee members that the Missouri legislature should be doing more to address our neighbors who live outside; homelessness is an untenable situation that is below the dignity...Read More

Moderator:    Demario Richardson  (He/Him/His) is a Retention in Care Peer Educator who is primarily in Kansas City’s most vulnerable areas such as, homeless shelters, parks, coordinated entry facilities (hospital, behavioral health institutions) rehabs,  parks, libraries, you name it. As a peer, Demario meets individuals where they are at regardless of race, economic status, class...Read More