Johnson County needs a 50-bed non-congregate emergency shelter and 20 affordably priced apartments to compensate for a lack of housing for adults experiencing homelessness, according to a preliminary study compiled by a consultant.
An overview of the study was presented to county commissioners at their meeting last Thursday by pastor Lee Jost, executive director of the local non-profit NCircle and Joe Karlin of Karlin Consulting, who is also a Lenexa city councilmember, as well as representatives of the consulting firm iBossWell.
The recommendation and what it could cost
The final, more detailed version of the report will be out in July, they said. But for now, their recommendation is for:
- 50 non-congregate beds (meaning each bed is afforded some privacy and they may not all be in the same room),
- 20 apartments, depending on availability of property, that could be used to help the transition from emergency shelter toward more stable housing,
- additional space for “flex” beds for transitional or emergency housing,
- a 90-day average length of stay to help foster a good connection with the available support services
- and on- and off-site support services.
Such a setup would necessitate staffing for guest orientation, case workers and perhaps security.
The report estimates that at a full capacity of 70, the first year of salaries and benefits for staffing would be $1,087,000.
With security, the staff cost would rise to $1,367,000.
The county currently lacks shelter space
The proposal reflects a desire for a public/private partnership to address a 40-bed gap in Johnson County for homeless adults, Jost said.
The lack of emergency shelter space in the county, plus landlords’ reluctance to accept housing assistance vouchers has spurred an interest in finding out whether federal housing and grant money and private partnership could be used to better aid those who have lost a place to live.
Jost told commissioners that four of ten Johnson Countians experiencing homelessness are doing so for the first time and that about half of the unhoused population is employed.
Those numbers are based on a recurring “point in time” census, he said.
This is a preliminary report
Jost, Karlin and others have been trying to find a model for public and private housing since before the pandemic.
In 2021, they approached county officials about using federal COVID-19 relief funds, and the feasibility study was commissioned.
Commissioners were only getting a first look at the feasibility study, and did not commit the county to accepting the recommendation.
They expressed interest and support for the concept but urged the consulting group to provide more specifics, particularly on the financial aspects, by the time the full report is released.
Commissioners want more details
Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick, who has a background working with the Safehome domestic violence shelter, said, “This is all great but we need specifics.”
She and Commissioner Becky Fast asked for more definition about financial aspects, the mission and outcomes of a potential shelter.
“Being sure we’re scaled to be successful is pretty important,” Hanzlick said.
Commissioner Michael Ashcraft also questioned the point-in-time census method that documents the number of people experiencing homelessness, saying he’s heard complaints about it.
“I’m sure it has some validity, but I’m not sure making decisions on that alone is necessarily the best basis,” he said.
Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand said helping find a place and jobs for unhoused people is very important and offered to promote it among businesses in her district looking for employees.
Roxie Hammill is a freelance journalist who reports frequently for the Post and other Kansas City area publications. You can reach her at roxieham@gmail.com.
