LINK community meals will continue as a program of Lawrence’s Homeless Resource Center, the HRC has announced.
The Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen has been serving home-cooked meals to anyone, no questions asked, for 41 years.
Brett Hartford, executive director of the HRC, said nothing about the program is going to change.
“This approach was developed collaboratively by both boards over the past year with a shared goal: to honor LINK’s legacy while positioning it for the future,” Hartford said via email.
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LINK serves lunches at 1 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays in the basement of First Christian Church, 221 W. 10th St. in downtown Lawrence. That’s just south of the Homeless Resource Center at 944 Kentucky St.
The HRC — previously called the Drop-in And Rest, or DARE, Center — offers folks experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity some daytime respite from the elements, hot showers, laundry facilities, phone and internet access, a stable address to receive mail and more.
Its services also include recovery groups, life skills classes, job readiness support and Bible studies, Hartford said. The center works with more than 20 local organizations that offer housing, case management, health care, employment support and more, according to its website.
Hartford said the move strengthens the infrastructure around LINK, which is currently serving an average of 115 meals per day.
The move creates a “more comprehensive campus of services, creating a clearer pathway for guests from basic needs to next steps like housing stability, employment, recovery, and community connection,” he said.
The HRC has assumed LINK’s current staff, Hartford said. He and Victoria Brown, director of operations for the HRC, will support them, and they plan to hire an additional service coordinator later this year, he said.
“We fully expect LINK’s long-standing volunteer groups to continue serving just as they have for years. That continuity is a priority for us,” he said.
LINK has been a separate nonprofit, but the change means it will operate under the HRC’s 501(c)(3) status and its EIN, Hartford said.
Hartford said this will strengthen the long-term sustainability of LINK and ensure that its mission continues.
“I grew up volunteering at LINK with my church and family, and it is an honor to help steward it into this next season while protecting the heart that has always defined it,” Hartford said.
HRC planning expansion
Hartford said the HRC is also in the process of working with the City of Lawrence toward an updated special use permit that would allow the center to expand its space and its service hours.
“The goal of this effort is to provide a more dignified and consistent daytime environment for individuals who currently have limited options and often remain in close proximity to basic necessities like restrooms,” he said.
“If approved, this expansion would create additional space for case management, computer access, and peer led programming, while also increasing access to safe, indoor daytime resources,” Hartford continued.
He said that’s a longer-term effort not directly tied to the LINK transition, but it reflects the broader direction the HRC is moving.
The HRC is currently open from 2 to 6 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 3 to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Learn more about LINK on its website at linklawrence.org, and learn more about the HRC at hrclawrence.org.
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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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