Social Welfare's road trip in Kansas City highlights importance of community-engaged work

Edward Scanlon embraces the moments when he learns from his students. He was filled with pride when his former students held a panel discussing the importance of social work, and part of that pride was the setting – KC Beehive.

Scanlon, an associate professor at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare, is also a member of the Association for Community Organization and Social Action (ACOSA). ACOSA hosted a field trip in downtown Kansas City in October 2024, to KC Beehive. 

The trip coincided with the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and was ACOSA and Social Welfare’s first trip together since the global pandemic began in 2020. 

KC Beehive provided a safe space for thoughtful conversation among peers. 

Scanlon and a dozen other KU Social Welfare faculty and staff discussed details of social work and policy with Master of Social Work graduates Marqueia Watson, Sarah Owsley and Ashley Vernon.

“I was really pleased that KU can be part of that process of getting them back into the community because one of our goals for the school is to do more community-engaged work,” Scanlon said. “So, getting this group of community practice, social work experts, and having them out in Kansas City and with our KU grads, was really exciting to me.”

Prior to the panel was a tour of the facility.

The lower level of KC Beehive is a kitchen and dining space run by Nourish KC that assists in feeding the homeless population of Kansas City. The upstairs features a doctor’s office, a dentist, a psychiatrist, housing referral resources, document services and access to social workers.  

Watson is the executive director of the Greater Kansas City Coalition to End Homelessness, a community partner of KC Beehive. 

For Watson, fighting homelessness is a lived experience. She was homeless several times in her life. As a kid, she lived in hotels and cars. As a teenager, she was evicted from her home, and she was homeless again for a period in her early 20s. 

“It’s really important that folks who have lived experiences help to shepherd others through the process of getting help,” Watson said. “For me personally, it’s paying it forward into the future, that I know recovery is possible and people can be helped by programs. It’s a testament that people can rebound from homelessness.”

Social workers are paramount in the fight to house the homeless. Sean O’Byrne, vice president of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, which manages KC Beehive, sees the difference each day. 

“I couldn’t put a value on it,” O’Byrne said. “When you get the right people together and you are able to provide resources, that’s when you can actually impact homelessness.” 

The cafeteria where the panel was hosted feeds about 50,000 people a month, O’Byrne said. The food also helps the homeless population find the upstairs portion of KC Beehive, where they can get the help they need. 

“We start with the end in mind, and the end is to get people housed,” O’Byrne said. “I’d say that Marquiea and her folks are great at doing just that.”

With all of this fresh in the minds of Social Welfare members on this October trip, it was as good of a time as ever to talk about social work. 

Owsley, the policy and advocacy director at Empower Missouri, discussed the hurdles of passing meaningful legislation. Vernon, co-director at The Giving Grove, shared about her experience with strategic planning and funding in the macro. 

Scanlon was pleased to hear about the impact from his former students.