KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The goal to end homelessness now includes a new way to treat mental illness in Kansas City. The City Union Mission will open a shelter next month specifically for men with mental illnesses or physical disabilities who have become homeless.

The City Union Mission is a shelter in Kansas City with enough space for roughly 350 men to stay each night. To better treat the people staying at the shelter who need mental health care, the organization plans to open the L. Minor Care Center.

The center is named after a longtime employee and will be able to house 40 men.

"It's hard to be effective and minister to them, so we're looking forward to having it open. And hopefully we'll be able to help men get more stable with the mental health issues they're dealing with," explained Dan Doty, the City Union Mission director.

Doty said keeping people on track with mental health treatment plans and medication can be a challenge. He hopes establishing a shelter specific to those needs can lead to long-term success.

"That's our goal, for men and families that we work with to be stable and ultimately have their own housing," Doty explained.

The Mental Illness Policy Organization reports at least 25 percent of the United States' homeless population has a severe mental illness. This new center hopes to focus on that population.

The location for the new L. Minor Care Center is just east of the current City Union Mission shelter at 10th Street and Troost Avenue.

The center's opening comes during a busy time for shelters. During the winter, dangerous cold weather typically drives more people to seek help.

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