Superintendent, volunteers helping displaced residents in Gardner
GARDNER, Kan. (KCTV) - Days after residents at the Aspen Place Apartments in Gardner were forced to evacuate with just 48 hours’ notice, the community is stepping up to provide in powerful ways.
At Grace Baptist Church, volunteers created a call center to organize donations and housing resources. The effort has already raised more than $100,000 to help cover the cost of temporary housing and now, permanent relocation.
“The biggest thing we continue to say is we love our community, these are our neighbors and what they’ve had to endure is a nightmare,” said Joey Lang, lead pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “It is terrible. It’s unthinkable. But what we wanted them to see more than anything else is to understand they are seen, they are loved, and they are not alone. Their community is here with them.”
Volunteers helped residents move out after the sudden evacuation and have been tracking families’ progress. Around $20,000 has already helped several families move into permanent housing. Funds are being used to cover first month’s rent, security deposits and utility activation.
“When we do go through the unthinkable, I think it was Mr. Rogers who said when there’s a tragedy, look for the helpers and there are people who are willing to help if we just know how to do it,” said Lang.
The Gardner-Edgerton School District is also stepping in to ease the burden on students and families impacted by the mass displacement. District leadership says all students impacted qualify for assistance under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
“We just know that a giving community is a good community and these people right now need our help, but in the future I’m sure that they’ll turn around and help out their fellow community ,” said Superintendent Dr. Brian Huff.
District staff including Huff has been helping more than 80 affected families with moving and other immediate needs.
“Think of a tornado coming through and just leveling an entire neighborhood,” Huff said. “We have 200 families that live here. Suddenly displaced with a 24-hour period. It might as well have been a tornado that came through.”
With graduation and prom quickly approaching, school leaders are working to ensure that students have access to transportation and essential resources.
“They can’t worry about their education until they know they’re gonna have a safe place to stay tonight,” Huff said.
For some residents, like Azariah Lowry, the situation uprooted his household. He is currently searching for long-term housing.
“My roommate is disabled. We’ve been family for six years and this is just—we’re not gonna be able to stay together after this,” Lowry said.
Still, he said the community’s response has brought some light to a dark time.
“Without the community outreach here and Hope Market, Salvation Army, even the Johnson County Health Department coming in, we would just be in complete darkness,” she said.
Anyone with children in the Gardner-Edgerton School District is encouraged to the district directly for . Other displaced residents can receive assistance through organizations like Hope Market, which will be accepting intake forms at the Grace Baptist Church on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The non-profit can also be reached via email at [email protected]
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