A mother, a student, a volunteer: Woman killed in KC houseless camp fire is remembered

When Elizabeth “Izzy” Lindsey began volunteering at Care Beyond the Boulevard, an organization that brings medical help to those experiencing houselessness in Kansas City, no one knew Lindsey herself was without a home.

It wasn’t until later that staff at the organization learned Lindsey was living mostly out of her car and sleeping on other people’s couches while also working full-time at Subway. At one point, she had gone to school to try to become a certified nursing assistant. Nor did they know she had a young son in foster care whom she hoped to eventually gain custody of again. He would eventually be adopted by another family.

“From the moment I met Izzy you would not think she had a care in the world,” said Sharon Ward, program director at the medical nonprofit. “She was smiling, bright, upbeat.”

Through trials, Lindsey persisted. But so too did the hardships.

Lindsey was staying at a tent encampment beneath an I-70 overpass near Indiana Avenue and Truman Road when a fire ignited Jan. 13, killing the 28-year-old woman, police said.

Fires at camps are not uncommon in the winter, as people struggle to stay warm and survive the frigid nights. No foul play is suspected, police have said.

Giving and resilient

When Ward saw Lindsey out and about, the young woman always greeted her with a bright smile and a huge hug.

Lindsey didn’t hesitate to give. If her car was broken-down, she’d let as many people sleep in it as she could fit, Ward said. If someone needed her last dollar more than she did, she’d pass it to them.

“She didn’t want to blame somebody else for her situation,” Ward told The Star on Wednesday. “She just always accepted it and just lived to the fullest of what she had available to her.”

Ward admired the resilience and adaptability of this woman whom she said was inventive, who often wasn’t seen without makeup on and who loved to take selfies.

For five days following Lindsey’s death, and until Lindsey was publicly identified as the victim, many headlines focused on the fire’s damage to the bridge and the days-long interstate closure, much to the frustration of Care Beyond the Boulevard staff.

“But somebody’s mother, sister, friend, girlfriend, somebody passed away.” Ward said. “We forget to look at people’s stories. And that’s what bothers me.”

Alina Heart knew Izzy for two years. Heart works at Creative Innovative Entrepreneurs, an outreach group.

“She’s not just someone who died,” Heart said. “She’s someone who meant something to a lot of people.”

Heart said she would see Lindsey on Tuesday evenings at Kansas City Heroes, a group that helps to bring comfort to senior citizens, people with disabilities, the houseless and others in need. Lindsey, she said, helped other houseless people as a volunteer with the group, Care Beyond the Boulevard.

“She was always really bright and cheery,” Heart said. “Always smiling and joyful. Like if you were having a hard night from seeing so many people in the park, she was always bubbly. Even though she had her own struggles, she brought so much joy and warmth. She was very loving.”

A lack in resources

As news of last Thursday’s fire spread, other members of the community who are experiencing houselessness were outraged. That night had been dangerously cold for many.

“That could have been me,” Maurice Lyles, who is experiencing houselessness, told The Star after the fire.

He said that on a recent sub-freezing night, an area shelter turned him away because he had been drinking. With no place to go, he slept beneath a tree in only his coat until a couple police officers woke him up and brought him to a McDonald’s to warm up.

“Our system is lacking resources that help prevent tragedies such as this,” Ward said Wednesday.

“Being able to get mental health help for anybody on the streets is hard,” Heart said. “I mean, getting them a bed, a shelter is hard. I mean, I’m just frustrated. The city tried to put in housing, but you know, nobody wants it in their backyard.

“It’s like these are people who left your neighborhood for whatever reason. And now they’re not accepted back. Nobody wants to put up any tiny houses, or palette shelters or anything.”

After the fire, Ward overheard someone make a comment about how much the blaze will cost the city and taxpayers. Bridge girders were significantly damaged as a result, officials said.

But to Ward, the issue lies in providing necessary resources so that people don’t have to camp beneath interstates in the first place.

“I wish it didn’t have to be cold,” she said. “That breaks my heart because a basic need that we all deserve — to be warm — was what basically probably took (Lindsey’s) life.”

For Ward, it’s not a question of what the city lost, but who the city lost.

To honor Lindsey, Ward is trying to smile at people more. For Lindsey, she’s trying to ensure life’s brightness overcome its darkness.

The Star’s Eric Adler contributed to this story.