Kyle Richards Says She Hopes to Reconcile with Sister Kathy Hilton: 'It Takes Time' (Exclusive)

Kyle Richards is full of hope when it comes to her relationship with her sister Kathy Hilton.

On Tuesday, The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, 54, opened up to PEOPLE about where the siblings' relationship currently stands at her Los Angeles event, Kyle Richards Hosts A Night Of Music Featuring Morgan Wade at The Fleur Room West Hollywood.

"We'll get there one day, you know, it takes time," Richards tells PEOPLE about her hopes of a reconciliation between the pair. "Family's complicated. You know, we're no different than anybody else except we're in the public eye. But, we've gone through hard times before and we've always come back together. So that's the hope."

Relations have been strained between the sisters since the show's reunion in September and 64-year-old Hilton's meltdown during a season 12 cast trip to Aspen.

Last month Richards revealed she was yet to meet her niece Paris Hilton's baby son Phoenix and during her chat with PEOPLE on Tuesday, the reality star admitted she still hasn't met the little one, who was born in January.

"I have not seen baby Phoenix," says Richards, who was joined at the event by her four daughters — Alexia, 26, Portia, 23, and Sophia Umansky, 15, and her eldest Farrah Brittany, 34. The star, who sported black leather pants and a black tank top, continued, "I wish I could say that I have, but I haven't. I've seen pictures and he is beautiful and perfect, just like she was when she [Paris Hilton] was a baby."

Richards and Hilton posed for a picture together at Elton John's 31st Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 13, but a source told PEOPLE at the time that the pair were far from friendly.

"Nothing has really changed since the reunion. They're still not speaking. Nobody has made an effort to sit down and patch things up," the source said. "Kyle is busy focusing on herself right now and Kathy is doing the same. But they're family and each of them are supportive of the other and always will be."

The insider also told PEOPLE that Hilton — who joined the RHOBH cast as a friend in season 11 — still hasn't decided whether she will join filming for season 13 of the Bravo series, which is currently underway.

"Kyle is waiting like everyone else to see if she ends up doing the show," the source added.

It's not the first time the fate of Richards' and Hilton's relationship has been uncertain.

The family drama between the pair and their sister and former RHOBH star Kim Richards, 58, is long-running — but only since the Bravo show started airing in 2010 has the tension between the siblings become public knowledge.

Many of Richards' current RHOBH costars were in attendance at her event on Tuesday, including Garcelle Beauvais, Crystal Kung Minkoff, Sutton Stracke, Dorit Kemsley and new cast member Annemarie Wiley.

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The mom of four hosted Tuesday's event in support of The National Alliance On Mental Illness and opened up to PEOPLE about how she maintains her own mental health.

"For me, it's really about exercising, meditating and eating right, because I know that affects me differently when I'm not," she said.

"The other day I was in a mood and crying and my friend Morgan Wade, who's playing here tonight, she said, 'Did you not work out today?' And I was like, 'Oh, I didn't.' And I know that this, when I'm in there [working out], it raises your endorphins and, it's just a game changer for me. So that's what works for me."

As for why it's so important for her to advocate mental health awareness, Richards revealed that it stems from her own personal tragedy.

"Mental Health Awareness Month is coming up and I lost my best friend Lorene Shea to suicide one year [ago]," she said. "It's the one-year anniversary coming up here. And I really wanted to do something because as you know, watching someone struggle like that, that you love so much, you feel so helpless."

"I think it's such a taboo topic that everyone's too afraid to ever even talk about, so I want it to be an open conversation," she added.