Johnson County city relents: Church that sued can now shelter the homeless
After a months-long search and a lawsuit, a Johnson County nonprofit has a place to shelter the homeless — now and for the next three winter seasons.
Lenexa has reached an agreement with Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church, which sued the city after it wasn’t allowed to operate a homeless shelter this winter. As of Friday, the nonprofit Project 1020 could begin operating the shelter inside the church building, a former elementary school at 9400 Pflumm Road.
“The city of Lenexa wants to be part of a comprehensive solution to the homeless issue in Johnson County. This agreement will enable the homeless population to be served temporarily while we work toward a comprehensive solution that serves the entire community,” Lenexa City Manager Beccy Yocham said in a statement Friday.
While Johnson County offers some homeless shelters for families, it has no permanent shelter for single homeless adults. To meet the growing need, Project 1020 founder Barb McEver has been housing the homeless out of churches each winter. But this season, city codes and neighborhood opposition left the group with no easy options.
As the temperatures dropped, the nonprofit partnered with the Lenexa church for a shelter. But Yocham said city staff decided a homeless shelter was not an approved use for a church under the city code.
The church sued the city, claiming Lenexa violated its right to worship and practice freedom of religion. Around 75 church members and advocates, all dressed in orange, gathered at a court hearing last week to encourage the city to allow a shelter.
On Friday, both sides announced the agreement, which allows the church to shelter up to 30 adults each night from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. until April 1. Project 1020 typically needs to shelter 40 to 50 adults each night.
The agreement will stay in place until 2022, unless Lenexa amends its city code before then to regulate homeless shelters.
“The security of having it for three years feels unbelievably good,” McEver said. “I’m proud of the church. I’m proud of Project 1020. I’m just ready to move forward and do what we need to do.”
Most cities throughout the county do not have statutes dictating where homeless shelters are allowed or prohibited. Dan Dalton, an attorney representing the church, argued laws intentionally exclude homeless shelters.
“We are grateful to the court for encouraging this settlement and look forward to partnering with the city of Lenexa to craft a mutually agreeable ordinance to address overnight homeless ministries in the future,” Dalton said.
According to a news release, Lenexa plans to begin an “in-depth process to update city code” to address how homeless shelters are regulated. The city plans to ask for feedback from residents and members of the faith community.
If a new ordinance is adopted before April 2022, Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church would be required to operate under those regulations, according to the release.
As part of the agreement, the city of Lenexa will pay $15,000 to cover a part of the legal fees incurred by the church. Dalton said the church will serve meals, provide training to volunteers and have a social worker on site.
