After approving late last year a plan to spend $6 million in COVID relief funds to purchase the LaQuinta Inn at 95th Street and I-35 in Lenexa for a homeless shelter, the Johnson County Commission OK’d $60,000 as “seed money” to run the shelter for a year, and wants similar contributions from cities in the county.
The Kansas City-based nonprofit reStart, which will operate the facility, estimates that grants and fundraising will contribute 2/3 of the $1.5 million annual cost to run the shelter, leaving $500,000 for the county and cities to add.
The December vote to purchase the property, including the adjacent Denny’s restaurant, was 5-2, with Commissioners Becky Fast, Jeff Meyers, Janee Hanzlick, Shirley Allenbrand, and Chairman Mike Kelly voting in favor. Commissioners Charlotte O’Hara and Michael Ashcraft opposed it.
In the recent vote authorizing the $60,000 contribution for operating costs of the homeless shelter, Commissioner Fast joined the opponents on the losing end of a 4-3 vote, feeling more discussion was needed before the vote was taken.
Commissioner O’Hara is a consistent critic of the homeless shelter project:
“This is a money pit, which will be a burden to the taxpayers of JoCo for the foreseeable future because the BOCC (Board of County Commissioners) has allowed the County Manager and her staff to ignore the original criteria for the selection of a self-supporting organization.
“The BOCC is transferring the ownership of this facility, a $10 million investment in the real estate purchase and rehab costs, to a private not-for-profit who, before they even open the homeless facility, has stated they can’t cover their operational costs.
“This is not a financial plan; it is a disaster, which a financial institution would laugh out of their offices if submitted to them. With no long-term financial commitments, this means JoCo will have to backfill any operational costs.
“Also, staff has confirmed that any client which comes through the CES (Coordinated Entry System) cannot be required to be a JoCo resident or even a U.S. Citizen or legal resident of the U.S.”
O’Hara maintains the county’s financial commitment is not sustainable and has security concerns as well:
“Security is of utmost importance for the clients of the homeless shelter and the surrounding community, which includes a school, residential areas, industrial and retail development; who all deserve assurances that safety considerations have been addressed.
“However, in 2023 documents presented to the BOCC, an estimate was given of $2 million for annual operational costs for the facility, which included approximately $250,000 for security. ReStart’s estimate of operational cost is $1.5 million and with no security officers.
“County Manager’s staff have indicated that reStart’s staff is trained in security and will call local police if needed. Again, ReStart’s plan does not fulfill the original intent and, in my opinion, is not appropriately addressing security concerns.”
O’Hara concluded:
“This ill-conceived plan without a sound financial plan, or appropriate BOCC input and oversight is, in my opinion, doomed to failure.”
We reached out to each supporter of the homeless shelter plan on the commission and received this response from Johnson County Government’s Communications Director Jody Hanson:
“The issue of homelessness is a countywide issue as opposed to a district issue. According to United Community Services of Johnson County, the lead agency for the network of agencies that provide services to people experiencing homelessness, 235 people were experiencing homelessness in Johnson County during the night of the most recently available Point in Time Count data. 50 were unsheltered, meaning they were living outdoors, in tents or vehicles, or in other places not meant for human habitation. Ten years ago, the same study revealed there were seven unsheltered people in Johnson County.
“Johnson County has been in a convening role on the issue of affordable housing and supporting those who are homeless for several years, and information on the background and accomplishments is available here. Plans for the homeless services center represent one of many efforts where we are partnering with the community to work on a solution.
“In addition to serving individuals who are experiencing homelessness, opening short-term housing and a homeless services center is a strategy for Johnson County to avoid encampments and some of the problems other communities face when large numbers of people are unhoused. Johnson County has a chance to address the issue before it becomes pervasive, as it has in urban areas and other nearby communities.”
The sale of the hotel and restaurant to Johnson County closes on October 31st of this year.
