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Here’s a glimpse at Lawrence’s Pallet village by the numbers after one year open
Just fewer than half of the people who have stayed at the Pallet shelter village for people experiencing homelessness have exited back to the streets or emergency shelter during the program’s first year, and about 25% left to permanent housing.
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Planning Commission advances Family Promise plan for affordable housing
Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission members voted unanimously Wednesday to recommend approving four items related to an affordable housing project at Ninth and Tennessee streets.

Housing Authority to temporarily close wait list for one of its programs
The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority will soon pause accepting applications for a transitional housing program that currently has a four-year waitlist.

Planning Commission to consider Family Promise plan for affordable housing development
The planning commission on Wednesday will discuss advancing six proposed new units of affordable housing at Ninth and Tennessee streets.

Proposed row houses to undergo design tweaks to fit into downtown Lawrence
Developers will work with architects to try to make the design of 15 proposed row houses better fit in with the area near Seventh and Rhode Island streets in downtown Lawrence.

Lawrence city commissioners open to changes to balance power between tenants, landlords
Experiences of local tenants prompted Lawrence city commissioners to pursue creation of a tenant bill of rights, and to explore what it would take to ensure tenants can have legal counsel.

Lawrence City Commission opts for compromise on increased occupancy limits
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday voted to change occupancy limits to allow a maximum of four unrelated adults per household in the least dense areas of town, and a maximum of five in the rest of town.

Lawrence neighborhoods call for city commission to lower home occupancy limits
Some Lawrence neighborhoods are pushing back against plans to increase home occupancy limits to 5 unrelated adults, worried about increasing numbers of student rentals. But some advocates say the move will make housing more accessible to nontraditional families.

Lawrence City Commission to consider altering occupancy limits weeks before development code set to take effect
The Lawrence City Commission will soon consider a major change to the new land development code that could hinder the code’s intended goal of helping people find and afford housing, weeks before it’s set to go into effect.

A Kansas tax credit can help build thousands of affordable homes. Lawmakers want to cut it
Critics of the affordable housing tax credit argue it is costing Kansas too much. Supporters say it’s helping construct new homes amid a housing shortage that’s driving up costs of homes and contributing to homelessness.

City Commission approves contract with Lawrence Community Shelter, including goals to decrease future funding
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday approved a $3.5 million agreement with the Lawrence Community Shelter, with the understanding that LCS is expected to decrease its dependence on city funding.

Kansas has a housing shortage. One legislator is suggesting prison labor as a solution
A new bill in Topeka proposes legalizing the use of prison labor to address housing shortages while also providing inmates with job training, a proponent says.

City Commission to consider $3.5M agreement with Lawrence Community Shelter
Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday will consider approving a $3.5 million contract with the Lawrence Community Shelter. The agreement includes some big changes to services and goals.

With extreme cold looming, Lawrence’s Homeless Resource Center seeking help
Lawrence’s Homeless Resource Center is calling for some extra help from the community as snow is on the way and extreme cold is expected to stick around all week.

Lawrence’s unofficial point-in-time count numbers show more folks seeking shelter
Unofficial numbers released Thursday showed that more people experiencing homelessness in Douglas County were seeking shelter on the day of an annual count than last year, and fewer were unsheltered.

Amid illness and short staffing, City of Lawrence seeks volunteers for winter shelter
Cold temperatures and the possibility of snow are in the forecast in the coming days, and the city is seeking volunteers to open an extra shelter space to ensure folks have a warm place to sleep.

City drops discrimination lawsuit against west Lawrence apartment complex
The city has dismissed a lawsuit against a Lawrence apartment complex accused of refusing to rent to a woman who receives housing vouchers, though ultimately the woman was not able to move in.

Single-family home construction in Lawrence continues to decline as home prices rise
Construction of single-family homes in Lawrence continued to decline in 2024, reaching a new low with only 57 permits granted by the city. At the same time, sale prices have continued to rise.

Lawrence Community Shelter still battling issues from blizzard, extreme cold
The blizzard that hit Lawrence and the lingering cold have wreaked some havoc for the Lawrence Community Shelter, including causing some pipes to freeze and burst and slowing construction of 24 new Pallet shelters.

City of Lawrence desperate for winter shelter volunteers
The city is in desperate need of help from volunteers to keep winter emergency shelters open amid extreme cold.

First United Methodist Church opens to provide overnight shelter; University Community of Christ to open for day
Update: First United Methodist Church in downtown Lawrence opened its doors for overnight emergency shelter, and the University Community of Christ will open at 10 a.m. Sunday as a day shelter.
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