Healing House KC Founder: COMBAT Tax Essential for Recovery Services

“I was looking for a change in my life,” says Nathan Gross, recalling a past defined by fentanyl and heroin addiction. Today, Healing House KC anchors that change, having helped more than 700 people access employment services last year with backing from Jackson County’s COMBAT sales tax, as reported by kshb.com.

Inside the Quarter-Cent COMBAT Tax and Recovery Engine

For nearly 25 years, Healing House KC has operated in Kansas City, Missouri, providing recovery, stability, and second chances to individuals. The quarter-cent Community Backed Anti-crime Tax funds local public safety and anti-crime initiatives that sustain the organization’s programs.

Nathan Gross’s Journey from Addiction to the Employment Lab

Gross experienced the program firsthand and now works as an employment specialist at the center.

Through the organization’s employment lab, Gross obtained essential identification documents, completed workforce training, and secured steady employment.

“I was able to get my driver’s license, my Social Security [card], my birth certificate, employment trainings, a job eventually,” he said, as reported by kshb.com.

Guiding Current Participants Through Critical Rehabilitation Milestones

Gross now guides current program participants through the exact milestones that facilitated his own rehabilitation.

“Having someone there to guide along, help motivate you, empower you with the tools that you need for employment, was key to my success, key to my journey,” Gross noted.

Bobbi Jo Reed on Ballot Stakes and Community Intervention

“If we did not have that tax, there would be 250 people today that would not have a place to live, and that’s just Healing House alone,” Reed stated to kshb.com.

Jackson County voters will decide the future of the funding mechanism when a renewal question for the anti-crime sales tax appears on the November ballot.

Reed encouraged public participation in the upcoming election to preserve community-level intervention programs.

“Finally, you get to see your tax dollars making a difference in your community,” Reed said. “You may not see the difference every day, but if it wasn’t there, I guarantee you would see the difference.”