JoCo’s homeless shelter was closing, but it can stay open because of coronavirus
On the eve of the day when Johnson County’s only homeless shelter for single adults was set to close, the Lenexa City Council voted to allow it to remain open through the duration of the metrowide stay at home order.
Without a permanent spot in Johnson County, the nonprofit Project 1020 operates a temporary shelter in colder months each year. It is the only place in the county where single homeless adults can sleep and wash up. But it took a months-long search and a lawsuit for the nonprofit to find a home for the shelter this winter.
The organization eventually reached a settlement with the city of Lenexa to run its shelter out of Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church, a former elementary school at 9400 Pflumm Road. Under the agreement, the shelter, which offers meals and beds from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. every day, was supposed to close by April 1.
But as the novel coronavirus poses an especially severe threat to the homeless — who are often older, have compounding health conditions and cannot follow the guidelines of social distancing — the church requested that the shelter remain open 24 hours a day through April 24, the date the stay at home order was set to expire.
“The situation is really tough. These people have no place to go at this point,” said Dale Trott, vice president of the church’s board. “We became aware of that last week when all the libraries and shops closed. They have no place to charge their phones, no place to use the restroom, no place to shower. That’s why we made this plea to the city to consider this as a humanitarian crisis.”
Given the outbreak, the City Council on Tuesday voted 7-1 to keep the shelter open.
“I agree that doing this for the duration of the stay at home order, on a 24-hour basis, is the right thing to do, given where we’re at. People don’t have a place to go to the bathroom or even just be throughout the day,” Councilwoman Courtney Eiterich said.
A few council members, however, voiced some reluctance due to public safety and staffing concerns. Councilman Bill Nicks was the only “no” vote.
“Frankly, I think the purpose of the original agreement has been met,” Nicks said. “The police reports … are troubling to me. I see this as a regional metro responsibility, even bigger than the county.”
Homeless advocates warn that it is becoming increasingly dangerous for people to live on the streets, without access to food, bathrooms or medical services. As everyone in the Kansas City region is told to stay home, those who have no home are unable to quarantine.
Some individuals across the region have shared stories of living without a home while suffering from coronavirus. Experts say an outbreak among the homeless community could endanger the entire region.
And while some officials said keeping the Lenexa shelter open is a positive step, many agree the action is not enough — especially as the number of coronavirus cases rapidly grows. Shelters across the region are short on beds and space, let alone individual rooms to quarantine people with symptoms.
Under the agreement in Lenexa, Project 1020 is allowed to maintain 30 beds at the church. But founder Barb McEver said she turns away about 25 people each night. Johnson County has other shelters for domestic violence victims, families and some beds for adult women.
McEver has said the shelter is keeping beds as far apart as possible, with only 10 in a room, to abide by social distancing guidelines. Volunteers also are taking temperatures of clients and checking for coronavirus symptoms.
Trott said the shelter needs healthy volunteers and food donations. Experts worry homeless service agencies will become increasingly strained for resources as more people lose their jobs, paychecks and homes.
In Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas said he is in early conversations about providing hotel rooms to quarantine homeless people.
In the suburbs, Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick is calling on Johnson County to take similar steps. She said county officials are beginning conversations about how to protect the homeless during the outbreak.
“I appreciate the city of Lenexa for keeping the cold weather shelter open, however, the shelter is not a long-term solution for homelessness in Johnson County,” Hanzlick said.
She estimates the county needs to provide up to 50 rooms for homeless individuals to be isolated, based on the percentage of the population that has tested positive for coronavirus.
On one night in January last year, a report showed, 189 people in Johnson County were living in emergency shelters, in tents, cars or on the streets.
Hanzlick hopes the ongoing crisis will motivate county officials to find permanent solutions to sheltering the homeless. In Lenexa, the City Council has been considering amending its city code to allow and regulate homeless shelters — although those conversations have been stalled since the outbreak.
“I think this COVID-19 situation has increased awareness of the lack of sustainable resources for people who are homeless in Johnson County,” Hanzlick said. “This is a public health issue. And how we respond to those needs and help people who are homeless really impacts all of us. I think that’s a big lesson out of this situation.”
How to help
Agencies across the Kansas City region need funding, cleaning supplies, toilet paper, paper towels, masks, gloves, hand sanitizer, soap and food. Donations can be dropped off at Veterans Community Project, at 8900 Troost Ave. Or, visit project1020.com to learn how to volunteer or donate.
This story was originally published March 31, 2020 at 7:14 PM.
