Kansas City leaders are launching a $1 million Housing Gateway Program to move people indoors more quickly as homelessness rises.

Why it matters: The effort relies on flexible local dollars that aren't tied to federal restrictions, giving the city more control over how quickly and where the money is deployed.

Zoom in: The Housing and Community Development Department will run the program through its Office of Unhoused Solutions.

• In a news release this month, Mayor Pro Tem Ryana Parks-Shaw called it "a critical first step" toward a longer-term, public-private strategy.
• Deputy housing director Mary Owens said at the news briefing last week that the program aims to build a locally funded municipal unhoused program, with "guaranteed reductions in unsheltered homelessness."

By the numbers: City materials tie the program to a broader housing crunch.

• The city has said there has been a shortage of 64,000 affordable homes and a 7% increase in rents since 2024.
• Officials also say the number of people living outside has grown by almost 170% since 2018.

How it works: The $1 million flexible fund is designed to remove practical barriers that often prevent people from leaving an encampment and moving into housing.

• It can cover short-term rental assistance, security deposits, utility payments, transportation to housing appointments, and other immediate costs that federal programs typically cannot pay quickly.
• City officials say the goal is to close small but critical funding gaps that delay housing placements or cause people to lose units they have already been approved for.

What they're saying: "This is first and foremost a humanitarian challenge that calls for empathy, urgency, and shared responsibility," Commerce Bank Kansas City CEO Kevin Barth said in a city release.

• Councilmember Johnathan Duncan acknowledged the funding alone will not solve the crisis, saying, "There will always be those who critique and say $1 million isn't enough, and you're right."

Between the lines: Owens said KC is borrowing from Houston's approach, where the region's unhoused population has fallen 61% since 2011, according to the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County.

What's next: City Manager Mario Vasquez will form an advisory board over the next six months and is expected to bring recommendations to the City Council in August on how KC responds to the unhoused community and what to change.

A new bar in the Crossroads will send you running across the room chasing your ping-pong ball, but that's all part of the experience.

The big picture: It's one of the many games at Ricochet, a social lounge hosting its grand opening today at 1720 McGee St.

• The KC spot is the company's second location. It opened its first in Des Moines in 2022.
• The bar is part of Grand Place, a redevelopment of the historic KC Star building, much of which is still under construction.

The vibe: Ping-pong, pool and shuffleboard tables fill the space on all sides, with a massive rectangular bar in the center featuring local taps, wine and cocktails.

• The rich, colored lighting makes you feel like you're in a "Tron" movie.

What to expect: There's no cover, and games like table hockey, foosball, corn hole and beer pong are free.

• A $10 game pass grants access to premium games, including ping-pong, pool, darts and shuffleboard.
• The bar doesn't have a kitchen, but Ricochet welcomes outside food.

What they're saying: Co-owner Brad Argo tells Axios he spent more than two years trying to find the right location, and says the Crossroads "has the most synergy among bars and restaurants."

• He grew up traveling to Chiefs and Royals games.

💭 Travis' thought bubble: It's the kind of place where it's OK to be bad at ping-pong. Chances are, someone else's ball will wind up on your table (and almost in your drink) anyway.

If you go: It's open every day until 1:30am.

👟 A shoe company called 1587 Sneakers is suing Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce for trademark infringement over the name of their restaurant, 1587 Prime. (Kansas City Business Journal)

• Go deeper: A midnight meal at the new 1587 Prime steakhouse

🐧 Four baby penguins recently hatched at the KC Zoo. One of them is open for viewing in a playpen, while the others need to grow a little bigger. (FOX4)

• Go deeper: Watch the Zoo's march of the penguins

More new moms are having kids solo in their 40s, with births to unmarried women 40 and over doubling since 2007.

Why it matters: More women are choosing solo motherhood later in life, reshaping when and how Americans build families.

By the numbers: In the U.S, more than 1% of babies were born to unmarried women 40 and older in 2024, per CDC data, a small but fast-growing slice.

• And overall, about 40% of babies are born to unmarried women.
• Yes, but: "Unmarried women" can include cohabitating couples.

Zoom in: In Kansas, births from unmarried women 40 and older rose from 117 in 2007 to 211 in 2024, an 80% increase.

• In that same time span, the number climbed in Missouri from 299 to 510, a 71% increase.

What they're saying: "The majority of our members are having children via fertility [treatments]" and are in their "30s and 40-plus," says Kat Curtin, director of the international Single Mothers by Choice (SMC) support group.

• Members typically have "dated, come into their career, come into their life" and are ready to start a family, she says.
• "You don't go down this path and be confident that you can raise a child by yourself unless you have a level of independence and resiliency."

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