Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider adding about $757,000 to its 2024 agreement with the Lawrence Community Shelter for LCS to construct new Pallet shelters, fix up the Monarch Village and purchase “amnesty lockers.”
If approved, the amended agreement will bring the city’s total funding for LCS in 2024 to $3,424,249. The amendment is on the commission’s consent agenda, a list of items that are generally considered routine and approved with one motion.
The shelter has received final approval to construct 24 additional Pallet shelters to be built on a paved area behind the shelter’s main building at 3655 E. 25th St. (Read more about that in this article from September.) Planning commissioners approved the plans for “Pallet 24” in October, and the city commission last month gave final approval as part of their consent agenda.
Pallet 24 will operate very differently from the Pallet village on North Michigan Street, which is intended to serve guests for multiple months as they transition into permanent housing. At Pallet 24, LCS plans to have two people assigned randomly to each unit for overnight shelter on a night-by-night basis.
Altogether, LCS Executive Director James Chiselom has said, LCS expects to have the capacity for 173 people onsite this winter. That includes up to 24 people in Monarch Village units, or shelters constructed from shipping containers; up to 101 people inside the main shelter building; and up to 48 people in the 24 Pallet shelters.
Pallet shelters get their name from the Washington-based company that produces them — they are not made of pallets. Each unit has an HVAC unit, so they should stay warm to be used through the winter. The city already paid for the structures, but they have been in storage.
The amended agreement states that LCS must allow guests to bring pets to Pallet 24, have security surveillance to ensure safety and “provide staffing to manage the Pallet 24 site, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, ensuring adequate support and supervision.”
Additionally, LCS must “provide services at the Pallet 24 site exclusively to residents of Lawrence/Douglas County,” “adhere to the City of Lawrence’s Policy for Assistance to Non-resident Individuals Experiencing Homelessness” and prioritize people who are chronically homeless, according to the agenda item.
Monarch Village, a group of 12 tiny-home-like units behind the shelter, first opened to guests in 2021. The units’ airtightness led to moisture and mold issues. They had to be temporarily closed in April because they weren’t safe for guests.
Chiselom told the LCS board of directors last week that some units have been deep cleaned and they were able to move people in. Three other units were “totally gutted for mold remediation,” he said.
Once complete, the Monarch Village units will serve guests who have specific health needs that LCS staff cannot manage. The city’s Homeless Response Team will make referrals to the units.
The “amnesty lockers” will provide secure storage for guests’ personal belongings, according to the agenda. Under the agreement, LCS must “implement a system for managing access to the amnesty lockers that ensures security and equitable use for all persons using them.”
If approved, about three-quarters of the additional funds, or $554,000, will come from American Rescue Plan Act (federal COVID-19 relief) money that the city needs to spend or commit by the end of the year. The remainder, $220,550, will come from the city’s general fund.
Here’s the budget breakdown that the shelter provided in the meeting agenda:
Item | Budget | Item | Budget |
---|---|---|---|
PEC (Professional Engineering Consultants) Contract | $167,000 | Monarch Updates | $21,000 |
Electrical | $146,000 | Professional Contracts | $45,000 |
Restrooms | $105,000 | Lockers | $13,500 |
Contractor | $60,000 | Startup Supplies | $7,000 |
Plumbing | $50,000 | Salto | $5,000 |
Maintenance | $45,000 | Drinking Fountain | $3,000 |
Contingency Funds | $30,000 | Security Cameras | $5,500 |
Anchoring | $25,000 | Bedding | $5,000 |
Fencing | $23,550 | Total | $756,550 |
LCS serves as the primary place for people experiencing homelessness to seek emergency shelter during extreme weather. The city has also been planning to have some overflow sites available if LCS hits capacity.
Commissioners on Tuesday will also consider passing an ordinance to officially implement the sales tax increase that Lawrence voters approved on Nov. 5 to fund affordable housing and homelessness solutions. City staff members estimate that the tax increase will bring in about $1.25 million more per year, but $950,000 in the first year because it will not go into effect until April.
The Lawrence City Commission will meet at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3 at City Hall, 6 E. Sixth St.
Meetings are open to the public, broadcast on Midco channel 25 and livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel, youtube.com/@lawrenceksvideo. See the complete meeting agenda at this link.
The commission accepts written public comment until noon the day of the meeting emailed to ccagendas@lawrenceks.org. The commission hears public comment in person during meetings as well as via Zoom. Register for Tuesday’s Zoom meeting at this link.
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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.