Local advocates are calling on Johnson County leaders to develop a comprehensive plan to end homelessness in Kansas’ most affluent county.
Catch up quick: The Good Faith Network, a group of more than 20 local interfaith communities, and Project 1020, Johnson County’s only winter homeless shelter that serves single adults, want county leaders to actively work toward ending homelessness.
- Organizers say that should include a comprehensive plan to make homelessness in Johnson County as rare and brief of an occurrence as possible, a concept they refer to as “functional zero.”
- Currently, the groups say there are an average of more than 200 people experiencing homelessness each night in Johnson County.
Driving the news: Good Faith Network members and Project 1020 officials made their plea Thursday morning at a public prayer rally.
- The rally also marked the first day Project 1020’s shelter at the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church was open for the winter season.
- Organizers passed out cards for attendees to write their personal ask to county leaders to end — and not jus manage — homelessness, as Good Faith Network leader Pastor Tim Suttle put it.
Next steps: Carla Oppenheimer of Congregation Beth Shalom invited members of the county commission and county leaders who can help achieve “functional zero” to meet with Good Faith Network members.
- The group also planned to send emails to county leaders asking for their help.
- That effort is aimed, in part, at showing elected officials that this is an issue their constituents care about, Oppenheimer said.
- Among other things, the advocates say there needs to be a homeless shelter accessible to individuals year-round, and they’ve also called on the county to create a homelessness coordinator position at the county level.
Key quote: “It is not the fault of our county leaders that homelessness exists, but it is their responsibility to do something about it now,” Oppenheimer said. “We elected these people to represent us, and they represent everyone in the county – not just the affluent, but everyone in Johnson County, to address the community problems and to come to the table.”
GFN’s previous attempts
McKenna Parker, associate community organizer for Good Faith Network, said there was a summit in April and a public meeting in May to call on county leaders to address homelessness.
- Parker said at that May gathering, three county commissioners who are on the housing subcommittee avoided simple questions about supporting homeless initiatives.
- Since then, Parker said, the county commission has “also avoided taking responsibility for the issue and now we face another brutal winter.”
Go deeper: Read more about Good Faith Network here.
