Olathe approved JoCo homeless shelter, then the rules changed. Plan now at risk.
Barb and Marc McEver wanted to do something good for Johnson County and meet a vital need sheltering homeless adults. So they spent more than $250,000 this summer to buy a building in Olathe.
Before the purchase, they had verbal and emailed assurances from city officials that the zoning was allowed and that the former Masonic Lodge at 725 W. Park St. could be used as an emergency shelter.
But shortly after that purchase closed, the city’s rules changed. Now, the McEvers are told a special-use permit for transitional housing is required, which means seeking neighborhood support.
At a tense meeting Monday night, where emotions ran high and voices were raised, it was clear there’s significant neighborhood opposition. It could torpedo the whole project.
“It’s turned into an unbelievable nightmare, to be honest with you,” Marc McEver told a crowd of more than 100 people that was about evenly divided between staunch supporters of Project 1020, the non-profit that seeks to operate the shelter, and nearby residents who have major concerns. They raised questions about their children’s safety, the impact on property values and the lack of communication before the purchase.
Marc McEver, a longtime city resident who co-owns Olathe Ford, said he never would have bought the building, near Kansas 7 and less than a mile west of downtown Olathe, without the city’s guarantee that it could be used as intended. He never expected to end up in a fight with the neighborhood.
“We didn’t ask to get in this situation,” he said. “We’re good neighbors.”
Barb McEver, who has spent the past five years as a passionate volunteer homeless advocate, agreed.
“We’re not trying to sneak something in,” she said, seeking to reassure residents that Project 1020 is listening to them and will be a positive addition to the area. “We want to see if there’s a way we can all work together.”
Some in the crowd suggested the McEvers should house the homeless in their own home, or at Olathe Ford.
They also raised serious concerns, such as whether the volunteer 1020 staff is trained in defusing arguments among shelter residents, and whether the residents would be allowed to loiter around the property during the day.
Fred Schmidt, who lives nearby and has three children, feels blindsided and worried.
Schmidt said he works in security in downtown Kansas City and frequently interacts with the homeless, who may have drug, alcohol and mental health issues. His children walk to a nearby elementary school and he frets about them encountering adults who may sleep at the shelter.
“We really don’t think this is the right spot,” he said. “There hasn’t really been a homeless shelter in a residential neighborhood.”
No shelter exists for homeless single men, and only a handful of beds are available for single women in Johnson County. For several years, Barb McEver and a dedicated group of Project 1020 volunteers have provided a meal and a safe place for dozens of vulnerable people to sleep on frigid nights, using temporary church settings.
Meanwhile, she scouted properties for a more permanent location, and she and her husband bought the old Masonic Lodge in August. She says she spoke to the immediate residential and commercial neighbors but relied on the city’s assurances that the facility could be renovated and used as planned.
This fall, city officials began imposing new requirements and halted the renovation plans. So as this brutal winter has gripped the area since late November, Project 1020 has been housed at The Branches Church on Black Bob Road, which has provided a place for 49 homeless men and women every night.
City spokesman Tim Danneberg acknowledges the McEvers were initially told that a shelter use was not prohibited at 725 W. Park. But just at that same time, he says, the city was realizing it didn’t have sufficient rules for transitional housing in neighborhoods, a new issue that had arisen on other projects. The relevant ordinance was updated to deal with potential serious conflicts and problems.
“The city applauds 1020’s intent,” he said. “However, we have a responsibility to ensure the health and safety of those being served, and we recognize there are others impacted by this.”
As a gesture of goodwill because of the confusion over the ordinance transition, Danneberg said the city offered to buy the building back about a month ago.
The McEvers respond they don’t want the city’s money and they still want to make the shelter plan work. Marc McEver told the gathering he’s willing to put $30,000 into new sprinklers and even more money into other revisions to bring the building up to code and make it a neighborhood asset.
Danneberg said The Branches Church shelter has had police calls this winter for trespassing, assault and other problems that have put a strain on city resources. The shelter transports some people in from elsewhere in Johnson County, and Danneberg said city officials are concerned about becoming a magnet for the homeless from outside of Olathe.
Shelter volunteers downplayed the police calls to the church and said they were quickly resolved. They said the homeless clients police themselves and generally behave well because they deeply appreciate the shelter. During the day, the shelter residents are transported away from the church to jobs or services.
Danneberg countered that the Salvation Army Lodge in Olathe and City Union Mission in Kansas City have professional security, screening of residents, and other resources and controls that shelters need to make sure they are properly run.
The need is clearly ever present, and the homeless are in Johnson County whether people want to accept it or not, advocate Jennifer Woolsey told the crowd Monday night.
“When individuals have a place to lay their heads they can be more productive,” Woolsey said. “Barb has given them a place where they can be treated with dignity.”
She argued that helping the homeless can actually reduce hospital and police calls to parking lots and tent camps where the homeless otherwise reside.
But critics countered this is not the right location.
“There are a lot of children in this neighborhood,” said Ericka Dial, a mother of five. She said children walk past the shelter to get to a nearby elementary school and wondered if they would be threatened by the residents. She and others asked about screening, shelter hours and what services would be offered.
Fred Schmidt said nearby residents are trying to bolster their west Olathe neighborhood and raise their property values. “With this, I don’t think it will help,” he said.
Barb McEver and Wendy LeBlance, the Project 1020 volunteer coordinator, said The Branches shelter has rules, and there is always adult supervision, including at least one man on every shift. Shelter advocates agreed to provide more information on training, screening and the proposed shelter’s hours of operation, to address concerns.
The emergency shelter application goes to the City Planning Commission on March 11 and could go to the City Council for approval in April. But advocates acknowledged the meeting highlighted significant opposition, which could jeopardize the project.
This story was originally published February 19, 2019 at 2:33 PM.
