The Douglas County Commission generally expressed support Wednesday for a plan to convert some tiny homes into extended-stay housing at the Lawrence Community Shelter.
The pilot program would take three of the 12 shipping container shelters that currently make up the Monarch Village at the community shelter and designate them for stays ranging from 30 to 180 days.
Bob Tryanski, the county’s director of behavioral health projects, told commissioners the county had identified a gap in services for people experiencing homelessness who have a medical need and no good place to recover.
“I think these units on a very basic cursory level could meet some of those needs,” Tryanski said.
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People who stay at the Monarch CARES, or Crisis And Respite Extended Stay, units will be referred by the Familiar Faces initiative, which focuses on improving care for highly vulnerable people who most frequently use emergency and crisis services.
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It includes representatives from the city, county, Lawrence Police Department, LMH Health, Lawrence Community Shelter, Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center and more.
The pilot would start with one to three units designated for extended stays, with a goal for the program to eventually scale up to six units in 2027.
According to the meeting’s agenda, a new service agreement with the community shelter for the pilot would cost up to $28,500, with an additional $8,000 set aside for health services.
However, Tryanski estimated the program would cost about $225,000 per year once fully operational.
James Chiselom, executive director of the Lawrence Community Shelter, said the Monarch units had been used heavily and not maintained well since they were built. He said there were some design flaws with them, like a lack of an exhaust fan.
The community shelter had learned how to better maintain them, he said, with more regular cleaning and monitoring, plus keeping HVAC units on to cut down on the humidity.
The proposal would refresh five of the units and start a pilot with a few of them used for extended stays, Tryanski said.
“Having extra eyes on them will help them be a viable resource in the community for a long time,” Commissioner Karen Willey said. “So I think this is a good place for us to be learning.”
Tryanski said the Monarch CARES program was an extension of ongoing conversations about providing services for people experiencing homelessness. It is a piece of the county’s Community Health Improvement Plan.
He said many of the county’s current facilities and programs are not offering people as much time as they may need.
“This is a gap that we know exists,” Tryanski said. “I think we’ve named it, and we’re trying to look at what is the scope of that gap.”
He said the county has really great congregate living options, but not as many single-resident housing options.
Commissioner Erica Anderson asked about if people who receive medical coverage as part of the program could bill those costs to insurance.
Tryanski said the program shouldn’t expect to break even, because many of the vulnerable people the program would seek to serve don’t have income or insurance. But he said it could help people start the process of finding insurance and medical support.
Plus, he said, it is cheaper and easier to care for people in a stable housing unit than with frequent trips to the emergency room and Treatment and Recovery Center.
“I also want to take just a minute and celebrate the collaboration that’s happening here,” Commissioner Patrick Kelly said. “We’re seeing City of Lawrence and county folks working together on this, and it seems to me, just from listening to you all, that it’s coming from a place of humanity and kindness trying to find the right fit for someone.”
Kelly said it would be much more cost-effective to treat people at the Monarch shelters rather than needing to make more ambulance runs.
Commissioner Gene Dorsey said the county already pays many of the organizations involved with the program and asked what additional costs there would be.
County Administrator Sarah Plinsky said the program was above and beyond the county’s existing agreements with organizations and necessitated additional payment.
The item was discussed as part of a work session and the commission did not take any action on the program.
“I’m really excited about this pilot,” Commissioner Shannon Reid said. “I want to thank everybody at this table.”
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Cuyler Dunn (he/him), staff reporter, has worked with The Lawrence Times since April 2022. He can be reached at [email protected].
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