Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday voted to hit pause on clawing back $558,000 in funding provided to Bert Nash for a supportive housing project that has been long delayed.

Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center had been planning for years to develop two dozen units of permanent supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness and serious mental illness on land at 530 Rockledge Road and 2222 W. Sixth St.

The city’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board voted in March to recommend the commission claw back the funds because the project was put on hold indefinitely at the end of last year following financing issues, and Bert Nash CEO Kirsten Watkins had confirmed the project would not be moving forward.

Mayor Brad Finkeldei left the room for the full agenda item as his wife works for Bert Nash.

The other four commissioners asked numerous questions of Matthew Herbert, chair of the Bert Nash board; Shannon Oury, CEO of the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority; Lea Roselyn, the city’s affordable housing administrator, and others.

Herbert said Bert Nash was asking the commission for more time to try to ensure the project can still come to fruition. He said the center has a $2.5 million state grant to put toward the project, and that they’re working with the housing authority to try to make it happen.

“What I’m asking is that, in good faith — knowing that Bert Nash is an agency that has served this community and been a city partner longer than any of you have been alive — to understand that in good faith, we intend to see this through,” he said.

Herbert said the center has also had stormwater studies and more done for the land, which would be available for future developments.

“This is an incredibly meaningful project for Bert Nash, even if it’s not ultimately carrying our brand,” he said.

Oury said LDCHA is in favor of the project because there are so few supportive housing units in the area.

However, “The Housing Authority is not in a position to purchase the land and then basically try to find additional funding to build units,” she said.

But she said LDCHA wants to continue to engage in conversations to preserve the grant funding coming to the community.

Vice Mayor Mike Courtney and commissioners Mike Dever, Kristine Polian and Amber Sellers voted unanimously to defer the clawback recommendation for six months.

Herbert and Oury agreed that they’ll continue to explore options. Sellers said she would like an update in six months, with hopes that there will be a firm plan of action within 12 months.

Mackenzie Clark (she/her), reporter/founder of The Lawrence Times, can be reached at mclark@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.

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