Still lacking a permanent homeless shelter, Wyandotte OKs jail time for camping
Sleeping under bridges and local overpasses could now result in jail time in Wyandotte County.
By a 6-2 vote, the Unified Government Board of Commissioners approved an ordinance banning people, including those who are experiencing homelessness, from “unsafe” camping on public and private properties in the county. Commissioners Melissa Bynum, District 1 at-large, and Andrew Davis, District 8, dissented.
Moving forward, people who are caught living near bus shelters, or in privately-owned woods, could be required to complete up to 40 hours of community service, pay hundreds in fines or spend up to a month in jail.
The board’s decision to move forward with an outdoor camping ban came more than a month after commissioners denied an ordinance that would’ve made outdoor camping unlawful and would’ve resulted in violators facing misdemeanor charges.
Since then, language in the policy was changed to remove the word “unlawful” and the misdemeanor, but it still includes punitive measures and the potential for jail time. The policy approved Thursday also includes lesser punishment for first-time offenders.
Commissioners first introduced the ordinance after several residents and businesses told county officials that incidents involving people who sleep outside around KCK were affecting their personal safety, harming downtown business opportunities and creating blight.
But that’s not an opinion shared by everyone in Wyandotte County.
Unified Government security escorted three people from Thursday night’s meeting after they called out in opposition to the ordinance as the commission was gearing up to discuss it.
And, during an October board meeting, numerous local advocates and residents told commissioners that making camping a misdemeanor would directly harm the county’s homeless population. They instead urged the local government to expand services for people experiencing homelessness, like housing assistance and mental health services, instead of policing them.
Officials said the rule is not a cure-all solution, but rather one of many ways the county needs to begin addressing homelessness.
Other lingering questions include when the government will build a permanent replacement for the outgoing Willa Gill Services Center, whether zoning changes will make way for increased housing, and how the government will make cost of living more affordable for residents who struggle to pay high rents, property taxes and utility bills without sacrificing public services.
Mayor Tyrone Garner said the conversation of addressing homelessness is something that must be carried on when Mayor-elect Christal Watson officially takes on leadership of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas. Garner’s term is set to expire this year. Watson, elected by voters earlier this month, will be sworn in Dec. 15.
And, Garner added, the community needs to throw its support behind those efforts.
“It’s not a Unified Government problem, it is a community problem,” he said.
How does the rule work?
The first time someone is caught camping outside, after being given advance notice to vacate the premises, they will be sentenced to between 10 and 40 hours of community service. The government will also refer them to local outreach programs
If law enforcement cites the same person again, that person could be required to pay up to $200 in fines, serve up to 30 days in jail, or both. If the court finds that someone caught camping on public or private property is unable to pay their fines, that court may order them to do community service instead.
The government will give a 48-hour notice for people residing on public properties to clear their things and leave, so long as those properties aren’t near schools, pools, golf courses, roadways, bus shelters, and potentially dangerous public infrastructure, including like wastewater, electric and flood control systems. People residing on private property, like in someone’s garage, shed, yards or lots without that landowner’s permission will be required to immediately vacate the property.
“It is not the intent of the Unified Government to punish any citizen based solely upon such individual’s homelessness status, but to enact an ordinance ensuring ready and equal access to public property by the community while preserving the health, safety and welfare of all citizens.
When people living under bridges build fires directly underneath those structures, that cause bridges to deteriorate. That creates safety issues for people using the bridge and people underneath, according to a presentation delivered during Thursday’s meeting. Living on or near area levees creates “increased flood risk, which is dangerous to campers and first responders,” according to the presentation.
The fate of Willa Gill
Thursday’s conversation came up as temperatures are declining and as the area approaches its coldest months of the year.
Wyandotte County is still trying to secure a long-awaited, year-round shelter for residents experiencing homelessness.
It doesn’t have one now, meaning people rely on warming and cooling centers and nonprofits to make it through the year’s harshest days. More than 100 people did not have shelter during January 2025, according to the Unified Government.
The government has promised a replacement to the outgoing Willa Gill Services Center, the county’s designated warming shelter, that will soon permanently close to make way for a downtown campus for Kansas City, Kansas Community College.
A formal location hasn’t been decided on, and government officials say that’s because any time they scope out a spot, neighbors in the area push back.
David Johnston, county administrator, said the community needs to get together and educate each other on the nuances of homelessness, how diverse of an issue it is and why people should care. That’s where progress in the county starts, he said.
“Until we are enlightened about the issue, you’re going to have the ‘NIMBY’ argument, ‘Not In My Back Yard,’” Johnston said.
Davis suggested the government hire a full-time employee tasked with addressing homelessness in the area and locating comprehensive wraparound services for residents who need them.
“We need folks to work on this 40 hours a week, because that’s the job and that is the level of investment it will take to be effective.”
Residents booted from meeting
Officers pushed Adri Lyons Marks, formerly Matlock, a KCK resident, out of the building and escorted her to the Wyandotte County Detention Center after she prayed out loud and began singing during the meeting.
She spent a few hours in jail Thursday evening and will report to court on Dec. 22 for misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct/disturbing a meeting and interference conduct, she told The Star on Friday.
Lyons Marks declined to share the names of the two other people escorted out of the meeting but confirmed that she was the only person arrested.
She hopes the Unified Government will take steps to reduce the number of people who have to sleep on the county’s streets, she said. That includes repealing the ordinance.
This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 5:44 AM.
