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Johnson County officials have made significant strides toward establishing a permanent homeless shelter, a resource advocates have long pleaded for in Kansas’ most populous and affluent county.
But now they need to get the cities on board.
The county and reStart — the Kansas City homeless services organization selected to run the shelter — are asking each city to pitch in annual funding in the center’s first five years. Johnson County commissioners already committed $62,000 for the county’s portion, out of a total $500,000 requested in public funds.
Securing a financial contribution from each city is the next hurdle in the more than $10 million project, converting the La Quinta Inn and Suites off of Interstate 35 in Lenexa into a year-round shelter. At least one city has already said no.
The Edgerton City Council, with a 3-1 vote, was the first to turn down providing to the shelter. A handful of other cities — including Leawood, Merriam, Fairway and Westwood Hills — have agreed to pitch in. The Spring Hill City Council committed its share, but only for the first year, rather than the full five.
And others, including the largest cities, Overland Park, Olathe, Prairie Village and Shawnee, have yet to vote.
Another major step toward getting the shelter built: Officials are asking the Lenexa City Council to approve a special use permit to operate the facility.
“It sends a different message when you have 21 entities standing together saying: ‘Yes, this is important to us. Yes, we’re going to come together,’” Johnson County Commission Chairman Mike Kelly told the Prairie Village City Council last week, as he makes the rounds to each city to discuss the request for money.
Some residents opposed to the project have been organizing to convince each city to reject the plan, while others have come out to support the shelter. And officials across the county have mixed opinions on whether to commit the money, with some worried about the short timeline to approve the funds in the middle of city budget discussions.
“This budget was put together with chewing gum,” Johnson County Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara, who has been critical of the project, told the Prairie Village council while speaking during public comments. “Be careful as you go forward.”
The proposal seeks different amounts from each city, based on population, which will increase over time. The county’s most populous city, Overland Park, could provide $150,000 the first year. Olathe would be asked for $112,000, Shawnee for nearly $53,000, down to Mission Woods for $150. If it were approved, Edgerton would have paid $1,310 the first year.
Lenexa would be excluded from providing annual funding, as officials said the city anticipates a loss in tax revenue as the property changes from a hotel to a shelter. The Lenexa City Council has a different question in front of it, as officials consider granting the special use permit.
County officials have asked each city to decide on the funding commitment by Aug. 20, in hopes the public support will help bolster its special use permit request. The Lenexa Planning Commission is expected to consider that request on Aug. 26, followed by the council on Sept. 17.
Why are cities being asked for money?
The county is spending more than $10 million in federal funds to purchase and renovate the hotel at 9461 Lenexa Drive and a closed Denny’s restaurant near it.
Plans include turning the hotel partly into a 50-bed shelter, with private rooms and bathrooms. The other part would include 25 transitional housing units, to help residents move into permanent homes. The organization intends to provide residents with several resources, including access to health care, job opportunities and more.
Officials this spring selected Kansas City nonprofit reStart Inc. to operate the shelter. Stephanie Boyer, CEO of reStart, said the $1.7 million needed annually to run the shelter would be funded mostly by grants and private donations, as well as revenue generated from services. She has said reStart is working on applying for vouchers for the transitional housing, which she anticipates would generate about $400,000 a year for the shelter.
But Boyer said the shelter would also need public support, at least in its first years. She said once the shelter is operational, it will be able to apply for more grants, some of which require a year’s worth of data. And she said many nonprofits and corporations prefer there to be a public commitment before providing private dollars.
“It does really help to diversify where that money comes from,” Boyer told the Prairie Village council at its last meeting. “As this project is really brand new to this community, this project is going to need some time to get on its feet and have the data that we need to seek larger federal grants and other opportunities like that, which will eventually help to sustain the project as well.”
Kelly argued that having support from both the county and its cities can be leveraged to secure more funding from private organizations and faith groups, so the public funding won’t be needed in future years.
City officials have had mixed opinions on helping fund the shelter, but many elected officials have so far offered their support. Many have agreed it is a joint responsibility across Johnson County to address the rise in homelessness.
Johnson County’s Point in Time Count this year — a count of all people experiencing homelessness on one night in January — showed there were 250 homeless people in the county, up from 180 in 2020. The majority, 85% were single adults, meaning they did not have children with them. Johnson County currently has some beds for families and women, but no permanent shelter for single adult men.
“It needs a coordinated response,” Leawood Councilwoman Julie Cain said. “This coordinated and responsive effort is the end game. This is how we are going to help, you know, really solve this problem and get the people back on their feet.”
But other officials have been more apprehensive. In Spring Hill, council members worried about the cost to the cities increasing over time, while acknowledging that the city does not have the resources to support homeless residents and the county needs the services. Council members also said they were concerned about being fiscally responsible as residents complain about rising taxes and spending.
The council agreed to only the first year of funding and said they would reallocate already existing funds, such as those currently being donated to the chamber of commerce.
Under the formula, cities would pay 76 cents per resident next year, the first year the shelter is open. That rate would increase by two cents each year.
Meanwhile several residents are coming out to city and county meetings to oppose the project, citing concerns about safety, as well as the shelter taking in residents from across the metro area. A new website has popped up encouraging residents to fight the project, calling it a waste of money and saying it will attract non-Johnson County residents and “illegal immigrants.”
Boyer has said that due to the limited number of beds, she expects the shelter to quickly fill up with residents in Johnson County. The shelter would not have a line out the door. Residents would be referred to the shelter if it is determined that they are in need of such assistance by Johnson County Mental Health or other agencies in the county’s system.
And Boyer said reStart has a security plan for the shelter, including a single-point entrance, cameras and trained staff.
In Overland Park, spokeswoman Meg Ralph said the funding request for the city has yet to be discussed by the council.
“The City’s portion of the requested community support is significant and is required on an ongoing basis,” she said. “To be good stewards of taxpayer dollars, City and County staff are drafting an intergovernmental agreement to confirm financial support along with the County’s commitment to continue engagement in a staffing presence at the shelter.”
She said the agreement will come before the council when it is ready.
Many council members have asked Boyer what will happen if several cities refuse to contribute to the shelter.
She said reStart would not ask cities for more money. Instead, the organization would work to raise more money to close the gap.
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