KC could ask FIFA for money to help expand homeless services ahead of World Cup

Chris Higgins, The Kansas City Star on Mar 12, 2026

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With fewer than 100 days until the FIFA World Cup descends on Kansas City, city leaders could soon ask the tournament’s organizers for money to help KC further address homelessness during the major event this summer and beyond.

The Kansas City Council is expected to consider an action on Thursday that would direct the city manager to petition FIFA and KC2026 — the local group organizing Kansas City’s official FIFA World Cup events — for funds that would help increase shelter capacity, expand outreach to provide services to people experiencing homelessness and provide training for law enforcement and other security officers.

The potential ask comes as city officials, nonprofit leaders and industry figures continue to ramp up efforts to open up job opportunities for people who are homeless while making sure they don’t get thrown onto the streets as hotels fill up for the big event.

Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw, council member for the Fifth District, said the World Cup will bring visitors and generate significant economic activity for the region, and the city has a responsibility to make sure the planning reflects its values.

“It recognizes that while global events bring opportunity, they also require us to strengthen the systems that support our most vulnerable neighbors,” Parks-Shaw said of the proposed council resolution.

That would include connecting people with jobs, as the hospitality industry in Kansas City already contends with thousands of open positions and the need for workers.

Shanita McAfee, founder of The Prospect KC and who leads local efforts around addressing homelessness, told the council’s finance committee on Tuesday that opportunities like the World Cup can come at the expense of people who are already struggling.

And Doug Langner, executive director of Hope Faith, said hotels are often used as a temporary place before people get into housing, but that won’t be feasible during the World Cup, leaving some to wonder where they will go.

The proposed council resolution was amended on Tuesday to ensure its language eyes longer term action than just meeting immediate World Cup needs. If passed, it would also direct the city manager to help coordinate the ongoing efforts around workforce development for people who are homeless alongside devising policy recommendations for shelter, outreach and training.

The committee also added the potential ask for funds from KC2026 for those immediate needs after Johnathan Duncan, council member for the Sixth District, expressed concerns about “unfunded mandates.”

Even expanding cold weather shelter beds through the World Cup could come with a significant cost, according to information presented at the hearing — and the city is also running up against the timeline to pass its next budget.

“We can say that we want to do this all day, but without the funding, then how do we do it?” Duncan said.

Officials say they hope to balance the short-term needs of the World Cup with the need to tackle the issue of homelessness in Kansas City long-term.

According to city data, more than 2,000 people are homeless in Kansas City at any one time. In the last seven years, that population has risen 170%. And among those who are chronically homeless in Kansas City, 95.7% are living outside without any kind of shelter, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. That’s the highest percentage of any major city in the United States.

Last month, the city launched a housing program geared toward helping people afford the costs of getting into a stable home like rental assistance, security deposits and utility payments. That program also involved working with various organizations outside of the City Hall for support and funding.