During a record-breaking week of cold temperatures in the Kansas City area, the Lenexa City Council approved Johnson County’s only homeless shelter to expand to 50 beds, as long as it follows a stricter set of rules.
During its Tuesday meeting, the city council voted 6-2 in favor of city code changes that allow Project 1020 to increase its nightly capacity from 30 to 50 people. If it goes over that amount, then it could face penalties like losing its Certificate of Occupancy.
The vote overrode a recommendation from the Lenexa Planning Commission that included a stipulation capping the total bed count for the unhoused to 250 across the city. But city officials said that stipulation would likely face legal challenges.
Because the measure technically went against the planning commission’s full recommendation, six votes were needed to approve the ordinance.
Councilmembers Bill Nicks and Mark Charlton were in dissent.
The approval by the city council comes after months of discussions between the shelter and the city after Project 1020 officials requested the expansion, saying they are “overwhelmed” and have had to turn away people, even as the documented number of people experiencing homelessness in Johnson County has grown in recent years.
Along with the increase in nightly capacity, the measure also relaxes requirements around the number of staffers the nonprofit shelter is required to have on hand, particularly during quieter overnight hours when guests are sleeping.
Overall, it was a victory for the shelter, said Barb McEver, Project 1020’s co-founder.
“We’re thrilled,” she said.
The capacity increase will go into effect on Tuesday, Feb. 25, still in the midst of winter but after this week’s record-breaking cold snap is expected to have passed.
What comes with the approval?
The particular city codes that dictate how many people can stay overnight in a shelter apply to places of worship, which can host shelters with up to 10 guests as an accessory use.
But if a place of worship is big enough and checks all the boxes in city code, then it can now house up to 50 guests.
As a practical matter, the rule changes only impact Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church, which houses Project 1020 in an old elementary school building in Old Town, since its the only church in Lenexa currently hosting a shelter.
The code changes include the following stipulations:
- Shelters with a maximum of 50 people are required to have at least four people on staff when at capacity.
- Shelters and their home churches that violate occupancy limits will face having their certificate of occupancy — which allows them to host the shelter — revoked for up to one year for multiple violations within a 12-month rolling period and potentially, longer periods if violations continue after the first revocation.
- An opportunity for an administrative hearing in municipal court would be provided if the violator wishes to appeal the city’s decision to assess a fine or revoke the certificate of occupancy for the facility. The judge presiding over the case would have the final say.
The rules approved Tuesday also cover seven other houses of worship in Lenexa that are big enough and close enough to public transportation to qualify under city code to host their shelters, though none currently do.
Most councilmembers spoke in favor of it
Five councilmembers, including Chris Herron, Chelsea Williamson, Courtney Eiterich, John Michael Handley and Melanie Arroyo, spoke in favor of increasing Project 1020’s capacity.
They said the shelter is needed, especially since it’s the only place in Johnson County right now providing overnight shelter to single adults experiencing homelessness.
“Our community cares about the less fortunate, and I think that we have to lead by example,” Herron said. “Sometimes when you lead, you’re by yourself, but you always have to do what’s right, and what’s right is taking care of our people.”
Citing city staff’s recommendation, which stated that emergency services would be able to meet the demands of 20 more beds at the shelter, Williamson said she was on board with the expansion.
“Our police and fire and safety have already indicated that that is easily absorbed,” she said. “I think you know, homelessness is getting worse. People are losing their jobs. Food prices are higher. Housing costs are higher. And I agree with with Chris, that Lenexa should be a leader. This is about the safety and the health of our community.”
Some councilmembers wanted item remanded
Other councilmembers, including Craig Denny, who ultimately voted in favor of the capacity limit increase, were stuck on approving the original ordinance because of fears it would go against the planning commission’s intentions.
Having attended the planning commission meeting, Charlton said he believed the additional 250-bed citywide stipulation was what got it to pass.
“I think that they were having difficulty approving it. And then, the 250 (bed) stipulation got them a way to then… advance it,” he said.
Similar to his thoughts he expressed at a Committee of the Whole meeting on the subject, Charlton feared that approving the city code changes would be “racing through this.”
“I’d like to keep it at 30, if this can’t go back to the planning commission for remanding,” he said.
Agreeing with Charlton, as well as repeating concerns that were expressed during the public hearing at the planning commission meeting, Nicks was firmly against the capacity expansion.
“I think we should keep the number at 30, instead of going to 50,” he said. “We’re adding 66% more people, not only to the shelter, but to the accompanying issues that surround the shelter.”
Included in those issues were concerns that the shelter’s capacity expansion would make Lenexa a “magnet” for people experiencing homelessness and that it would have a negative effect on businesses near Project 1020, Nicks said.
“We’re putting $12 million into the [new Old Town] community center. We’re putting $4 million into the street and trails system, $2 million into parking in Old Town for our residents, for our businesses, and I think these accompanying issues dampen the use of all those facilities and all that investment,” he said.
Throughout the discussion, city leaders and staff underscored the point that, despite fears that expanding the shelter’s capacity would cause more homeless shelters to open and more people to come to the area, Project 1020 remains the only homeless shelter in Johnson County.
“What I heard from the planning commissioners was a little bit of unfounded fear that other organizations would all of a sudden join the conversation, and that we would have seven other churches that created this potential capacity issue that they were scared of,” Mayor Julie Sayers said.
“There has been no evidence to support that any other organization is even ready to do that,” she added. “We’ve not heard from any other churches, even in a single-night emergency situation, that they are willing to open their doors and start working on this issue.”
Councilmembers didn’t want to delay expansion
After about 45 minutes of discussion, several councilmembers noted the extreme cold weather outside and expressed a desire to avoid remanding it and delaying it any further.
“I think by remanding it, all we are doing is pushing this out even further and keeping it from happening until next year, and not giving them the permit that they need while it’s negative 15 degrees outside,” Eiterich said.
Williamson agreed.
“It’s one of the coldest days of the year. This is a warming shelter that stays open four months out of the year,” she added. “I’m just wondering how many people rushed from their cars tonight to get into the warm building where there was a heater.
“Just to remind everyone, frostbite can happen within just minutes with exposed skin, and we’re talking about possibly remanding (this) back to a planning commission. I mean, it’s five degrees (outside). We’re talking about negative wind chill right now, and we’re arguing over 20 extra beds.”
Following the city council’s approval, volunteers and supporters of Project 1020 hugged outside of the city council chambers.
“I’m so happy,” McEver said.
Go deeper: Lenexa seeks compromise as homeless shelter Project 1020 asks to take in more people
