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JoCo wants cities to help pay for new homeless shelter, but some officials are pushing back

Four Johnson County cities may become the first to commit to annual contributions for a countywide homeless shelter. But local officials are already raising concerns about the abbreviated process to allocate the funds, with a county-determined deadline set for just over two weeks. This week, the cities of Prairie Village, Leawood, Olathe and Mission are all discussing their individual cities’ prospective payments to go towards supporting the early years of operation at a new proposed homeless shelter at the La Quinta Inn and Suites hotel in Lenexa. The agendas for Prairie Village, Leawood and Mission show that each of those cities are each discussing making five years of annual funding assistance. Prairie Village and Leawood are anticipated to take a vote on the matter Monday night. One Johnson County has already voted against contributing. On July 25, the Edgerton City Council opted against supporting a commitment to annually contribute to the homeless shelter, city officials confirmed with the Post. These city-level conversations are coming about a month after Kansas City-based nonprofit reStart told the county commission that it would need a roughly $500,000 annual contribution from local governments to help operate the shelter. That would be about a third of the total cost of roughly $1.5 million the group estimates is needed to run the shelter in its early years. Johnson County is putting in roughly $10.5 million worth of federal funds to purchase and renovate the hotel property. Initial plans show the shelter will include about 50 private units for short-term shelter and 25 studio apartments for transitional living, according to Prairie Village city documents. Cities are asked to contribute 76 cents per resident The county, on behalf of reStart, is asking nearly every city to contribute a specific, annual amount to the homeless shelter based on each city’s population. The amount each city would pay in 2025 would amount to 76 cents per resident. Here’s a look at what that dollar figure is for each of the four cities discussing the commitment this week, as well as Edgerton: Edgerton: $1,310 Leawood: $25,920 Mission: $7,638 Olathe: $112,485 Prairie Village: $17,468 Johnson County’s biggest city, Overland Park, will be asked to contribute $150,342 next year, though that city has yet to take up a local funding measure. If the cities agree to the five-year funding commitment, then the 76 cents per resident is projected to increase by two cents annually, equaling 85 cents per resident by 2030. Mission Mayor Sollie Flora in January Photo credit Juliana Garcia. One JoCo mayor shares concerns with county In an email to the county commission from July 26, Mission Mayor Sollie Flora outlined several questions and concerns she says have come up in her conversations with other northeast Johnson County mayors. For instance, Flora wrote that the county is requesting an annual contribution starting in 2025, but it is late in the cities’ 2025 budget cycle process and adding expenditures could complicate that. Flora’s email notes the “late engagement of cities in the process” and a lack of city input on the “feasibility or sustainability of operational funding” for the shelter. She also asks why cities should fund a countywide service when the county often provides other services — including mental health and housing support — to all Johnson Countians without cities’ support. Flora proposes the county consider removing the request for funding in 2025, restarting conversations with city leaders and returning for a funding request in 2026. reStart needs to know city decisions by Aug. 20 On behalf of reStart, Johnson County gave cities a deadline of Aug. 20 to provide documentation of their commitment to funding, according to Prairie Village city documents. The cities are not required to contribute funds and can decide whether to participate and at what level to participate, according to city documents. If the cities commit to the five-year funding agreement, then funding would be distributed only after the county finalizes its purchase of the Lenexa hotel and the city of Lenexa approves a special use permit for the site. Lenexa’s Planning Commission is next poised to consider the special use permit on Aug. 26. The Prairie Village City Council is the first of four cities scheduled to discuss an annual contribution to a countywide homeless shelter this week. Above, the city council in May 2024. File photo. Listen to your city council’s discussion The Prairie Village City Council meets at 6 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, at City Hall, 7700 Mission Rd. (live streaming option here). The item is under the new business section of Prairie Village’s agenda, meaning a vote on the matter is anticipated. The Leawood City Council meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 5, at City Hall, 4800 Town Center Dr. (live streaming option here). Leawood city officials confirmed to the Post on Monday that a vote is anticipated on this agenda item. The Olathe City Council meets at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6, at City Hall, 100 E Santa Fe St. The homeless shelter is an agenda item on Olathe’s planning session as a discussion item with no anticipated vote. The Mission City Council convenes at 6:30 p.m. for committee meetings on Wednesday, Aug. 7, at City Hall, 6090 Woodson St (recorded meetings uploaded here). The item is coming up in a committee meeting, so a final vote will not be taken that night. The committee can forward a vote for final consideration to a future city council meeting. JoCo wants cities to help pay for new homeless shelter, but some officials are pushing back

Tell them NO Lenexa Homeless Shelter

Here’s what you can do to stop the ill-conceived homeless shelter project at 95th & I-35. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo. Speak up. Even if you don’t live in Lenexa, make your voice heard. This is a county-wide issue. Joco commissioners and shelter proponents say this homeless shelter won’t entirely solve the county’s homeless problem. So will your neighborhood be next? Email Lenexa city council and planning commission members. See contact information below. Attend and speak up at the next Lenexa planning commission meeting. Monday, Aug. 26 @ 7:00 pm At Lenexa City Hall 17101 W. 87th in Lenexa Johnson County government has approved a homeless shelter at 95th & I-35 – at a cost to us taxpayers of more than $10 million. But the city of Lenexa can stop it by voting NO on a Special Use Permit that’s legally necessary to build and operate the shelter. Here’s why the Lenexa homeless shelter is a bad idea. No priority is given to the homeless population in Johnson County. Commissioners voted NOT to check for ties to Johnson County when admitting “residents” to this shelter. Will neighboring cities bus their homeless to Johnson county? People in our country illegally are allowed to stay in the shelter. Commissioners voted NOT to check for U.S. citizenship or legal status such as a green card or student visa. Will it raise crime in our neighborhood? Other similar shelters have experienced increases in crime. The proposed shelter is already in a high crime area. Will it bring drugs to our neighborhood? Other similar shelters have experienced increases in drug use and sales. Other similar homeless centers have seen increased violent crime and drug use nearby. Example: Former Doubletree hotel in Denver  Will this drive away businesses in the area? Cost is $10 million and counting.  The Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) spent $6 million in taxpayer dollars to buy the property. They voted to spend another $3.7 million in taxpayer dollars to renovate the property. And… they’re asking other JOCO cities to fund an additional $430,000 per year in taxpayer dollars, without any measurements of success or financial accountability. Operational expenses – The county originally required that the operating organization chosen MUST BE able to fund ongoing expenses.  This has been thrown out the window as reStart (the vendor chosen to operate the shelter) has submitted an annual operating budget with a $500,000 deficit. Lack of due diligence – The BOCC delegated all the responsibility to create a Request for Proposal, review the proposals, and interview selected vendors. No elected officials were on this committee. Even though one commissioner offered to serve on the committee, she was not selected to do so. In addition, City Union Mission in KCMO was not notified of the RFP. And the county only received 4 proposals, foregoing a national search to determine the best operator. Lack of transparency – None of these issues would be public knowledge if the questions hadn’t been asked in a public meeting. We want a partnership, not a dictatorship from our elected reps. This won’t solve the “homeless problem.” Commissioners and proponents have mentioned multiple times that this shelter will NOT solve the “homeless problem” in Joco. Why are we spending all this money on an ineffective solution? Use any or all of these 10 points when you email Lenexa officials or speak at the meeting. Learn more here: https://lenexashelter.com/ Contact Information Lenexa city council members: Mayor Julie Sayers, Office: 913.477.7567, [email protected] Joe Karlin: Ward 1, Office: 913.477.7560, [email protected] Courtney Eiterich: Ward 1, Office: 913.522.9423, [email protected] Bill Nicks: Ward 2, Office: 913.424.9228, [email protected] Mark Charlton: Ward 2, Office: 913.675.2428, [email protected] Melanie Arroyo Perez: Ward 3, Office: 913.279.0407, [email protected] Chelsea Williamson: Ward 3, Office: 913.303.9929, [email protected] Craig Denny: Ward 4, Office: 816.225.5891, [email protected] Chris Herron: Ward 4, Office: 913.477.7550, [email protected] Lenexa planning commission: Email: [email protected] Phone: 913-477-7500 No contact for individual commission members is listed on the city website. Chris Poss, ChairMike Burson, Vice Chair Don Horine Curt KatterhenryDavid Woolf Brenda Macke John Handley Ben Harber Cara Wagner Our city and county officials are supposed to act in the best interests of the residents. Let’s make sure they do. Thank you for taking action to save our county. We’ll see you on the 26th.

Johnson County and its cities asked to chip in $500,000 a year for a new homeless shelter

Johnson County is planning to build a homeless shelter and service center in a repurposed Lenexa hotel. Kansas City-based nonprofit reStart, which would run the facility, told commissioners that it would need funding help from the county and cities. After an hour-long meeting that was heated at times, Johnson County commissioners Thursday voted their intention to contribute $60,000 towards operating expenses to run a homeless service center and housing campus in a repurposed Lenexa hotel. The money, which was described as seed money by some commissioners, would be the county’s first-year contribution to ongoing operating expenses of the Kansas City-based nonprofit reStart, which would run the facility’s operations. In total, officials with reStart told the commission Thursday the group would need roughly $500,000 in local funds from both the county and cities to help pay for the shelter’s annual operating expenses, at least at first. Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick called it a “monumental opportunity,” to help people who are homeless. “I just think we don’t have a choice. If we don’t do this, who have we let down — not only people who are unhoused but our whole community. And I think that how we treat the least of these is (being discussed) on the dais right now.” But some other commissioners were unhappy about reStart’s request for operating funds because the organization was chosen partly based on its private fundraising ability to handle those expenses. “I’m really very concerned that you haven’t even started, and you need this much cash? It’s really high risk,” said Commissioner Becky Fast, explaining that residents in her northeast Johnson County district understand the need for homeless services but worry that the county would end up subsidizing the operating funds year after year. Lenexa La Quinta hotel eyed for homeless shelter County commissioners approved a plan late last year to use $6 million of federal coronavirus relief funds to buy the La Quinta Inn and Suites and an adjacent former restaurant at Interstate 35 and 95th Street. Officials are now going through the due diligence process and have not yet closed on the deal. The project is billed as a way to get people into a living space where they can also get the services they need to be able to get back into the workforce. County Chairman Mike Kelly has called the La Quinta space a “unicorn” because it is well-suited for the purpose of housing and would not be as expensive as remodeling a different space or building from the ground up. Officials estimate shelter would cost $1.5 million per year to run reStart officials said they would raise money privately and seek grants, but estimated about a third of the $1.5 million needed each year in operating expenses — or roughly $500,000 — would be needed from cities and the county. That’s particularly true in the early years of operation, reStart CEO Stephanie Boyer told commissioners Thursday. Private donors usually like to know there’s support from the community and grant money usually comes after data from its history and sometimes a match can be obtained, she said. After talking with some city managers, reStart and county staff proposed a support fund with contributions based on 76 cents per capita. The county would pay a base amount of $50,000 plus the same per-person rate in townships for a total of $61,192. Lenexa would not be asked to pay the per-capita rate because the city is expecting to lose revenue from property taxes, transient guest taxes and sales taxes when the hotel becomes a homeless services center, said Assistant County Manager Joe Connor. If every city government and the county agree, the total raised the first year would be $430,000. Is that local funding sustainable? Boyer said it is important to diversify the funding sources so the project isn’t too dependent on one donor. “Having some structure of that base sustained funding helps us to leverage more private dollars,” from businesses and faith-based organizations, Boyer said. She added that 43 of the rooms would be available through a federal housing voucher program that will also provide income for the project. Philanthropic support will grow year by year, she said. But nothing obligates the cities to go along with that contribution amount or to continue in the same amount in future years, and nothing obligates the county to make up the amount if a city decides not to go along. Fast expressed concern about what could happen if as many as a third of cities didn’t opt in. She also worried that reStart was endangering itself by taking on too much. Boyer said charitable funding often fluctuates over time and her organization is adept at finding other sources to fill the gaps. Hanzlick said she felt confident reStart could raise money, and that at some point the county and cities may not need to step in. “To me if the county can help get things started and provide you with a little bit of a safety net I’m comfortable with that.” Arguments for and against Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara doubted the plan. “You cannot go forward with something that is on such shaky ground,” she said. “We were told that we were going to find an operator that was financially stable and could come in and do this. You are not presenting a financially stable resource,” she said. “If you brought this kind of project to a financial institution they would laugh you out the door.” Other commissioners said they could understand the need to get some buy-in by city governments. Commissioner Jeff Meyers — himself a former Shawnee city councilmember and mayor — said it’s important that the county doesn’t go it alone. “It’s a community item, not just a county item,” he said. “I hope there’s an understanding of the need. Every one of us on this dais has talked about the importance and the need for a homeless center.” Kelly agreed: “I would hope that every city recognizes the community need. Other cities have recognized that this is a community need

KC Housing Non-profit “reviewing” after fire at blighted building owned by board memebers

  Kansas City homelessness services nonprofit reStart said Friday it is “thoroughly reviewing” a situation involving a fire last week at a dilapidated apartment building owned by two board members. Board members Parker Webb and Logan Freeman owned an apartment complex in northeast Kansas City where residents were left without heat for several days, but tenants said conditions at the building had been poor for quite some time. Webb told The Star his company, FTW Investments, had sold property, and closing papers were signed the day before the fire.   Since discovering the rundown complex was owned by FTW since March 2021, several community members, including renters’ advocacy group KC Tenants, have publicly raised concerns about Webb and Freeman’s involvement with reStart and pushed for their removal. A written statement from reStart’s chief executive officer Stephanie Boyer indicated that the organization was aware of the situation but stopped short of announcing any decision. Boyer emphasized reStart’s mission and intent to provide services for those in need. “We will continue to relentlessly pursue our mission and believe now, more than ever, that access to affordable, quality housing is a priority for all Kansas Citians,” she wrote. CONDITIONS AT APARTMENT COMPLEX Public attention to the apartment complex on North Lawn Avenue and Scarritt Avenue came about last weekend following a fire on Jan. 20, when the Kansas City Fire Department was unable to turn the gas back on due to numerous code violations at Webb and Freeman’s building. Several windows and doors are boarded-up with duct tape and wooden planks. Leaks, squatters, and electrical problems have gone months without being addressed, and extension cords run from one unit to the next. The city provided temporary housing for a few of the residents after nearly two days of being unable to reach management, though many tenants chose to stay, expressing a desire to stick close to work and fear of leaving. One neighbor, Tara Zink, said she’s complained numerous times to the city since moving into a home behind the apartments in 2019. Trash overflows, causing dumpster fires and rat and mice infestations in Zink and her neighbors’ backyards. Sofia Be, a resident, stands in front of her home. She feels the owner and property managers of the building do not take their responsibilities seriously. With people constantly breaking into the complex, tenant Sofia Be said she doesn’t feel safe in her own home. Across the street, officials evacuated another FTW-owned building at 131 North Lawn Ave. because of a gas leak Sunday. Residents from that building were also transferred to temporary housing. RESPONSE FROM FTW INVESTMENT Webb could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday. He wrote in a statement last week that his company responded to the incident as quickly as they could. Chaw Noud carries her nephew outside of her apartment building Jan. 23 in Kansas City. Nick Wagner [email protected] Webb further added that the situation should not be blamed on the people who are working to make housing “affordable and nice” for Kansas City, but instead on the individuals who continually break in. “It is unacceptable and highly regrettable that the people who did this did so without regard for the lives of those around them who legally live in that building and rely on it to be close to their children’s schools, their work, and their community,” Webb said. “FTW Investments will continue to make sure this property is livable, even as we prepare to sell it to another company, and will not leave the people who rely on us for their housing without options.” CRITICS SAY OWNERS ARE ‘SLUMLORDS’ Tara Raghuveer, director of KC Tenants, said her organization wasn’t familiar with FTW Investments until this past weekend. The advocacy group called Webb and Freeman “slumlords” and said their business interests and treatment of tenants through FTW conflicts with the mission of reStart. “A lot of leaders at our base, tenants at that property, a lot of people in the community are pretty horrified that people could leave their own neighbors in the types of conditions that these buildings are in,” Raghuveer said. Raghuveer said she’s concerned that FTW – a for-profit real estate company whose website states their goal to build wealth for investors – holds two seats on reStart’s board. She also wondered why an organization that receives city dollars works with a company whose properties have violated city codes. “Their whole business model is predicated on buying distressed properties, making very minimal investment, extracting as much rent as possible and then potentially flipping the sale,” she said. A woman, bundled up in winter clothing, looks out from her apartment on Jan. 23 in Kansas City. The multi-family housing unit had been without heat for days. Nick Wagner [email protected] On Thursday, KC Tenants penned an open letter to reStart and its board of directors launched a petition, calling for Webb and Freeman’s removal. Raghuveer said the initiative gathered signatures from hundreds, including the Neighborhood Association of Indian Mound, where the property is located. KC Tenants has also been in touch with several city officials and nonprofit owners that have expressed concern over having Webb and Freeman on reStart’s board, Raghuveer said. While FTW claimed it responded quickly to the incident and found tenants safe temporary housing, residents and the tenants’ union said that wasn’t the case. “Tenants were left to organize for vital resources themselves,” KC Tenants wrote. Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article271745612.html#storylink=cpy

Year after $9M deal, Denver hotel bought for the homeless sits boarded up

Nearly a year after the city of Denver spent millions on a move-in-ready motel in order to house the homeless, no one is living in the now-boarded-up structure — and the city is unable to provide a timeline for when it will be occupied. The city paid $9 million for the 96-room former Stay Inn at 12033 E. 38th Ave. on Aug. 11, 2023, saying at the time that the building would be turned into “supportive housing,” which provides on-site services in addition to a residence, for the homeless. The building was furnished. The city’s purchase agreement for the property specifies it was sold with “keys, beds, mattresses, microwaves, refrigerators, cooktops, washers, dryers, nightstands, dressers, and televisions” included. The deal had been in the works for years. Then-Mayor Michael Hancock and Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-Denver) held a press conference at the property in May 2021 to announce the city would be buying it. So much time elapsed before closing that Denver ended up paying $1.2 million more than the $7.8 million it had originally planned. Mayor Mike Johnston, who assumed office last July, has made combatting homelessness his signature issue. He was in Paris last week to discuss “innovation solutions” to address the issue. Hotels and motels have been a key part of Johnston’s plan. In December, the city began moving the homeless into an Embassy Suites in southeast Denver. The city bought the property in early April. Denver has also signed master leases for multiple other hotels so it could move in the homeless.  The deals have left areas such as Arapahoe Square free of massive tent encampments for the first time in years. But they’ve also left some City Council members concerned about a lack of transparency and spending far exceeding the budget previously disclosed by Johnston’s administration. All the while, no one has moved into the former Stay Inn, which sits along Peoria Street south of Interstate 70. On the parking lot outside, a network of shed-like structures, erected by the city and dubbed a “microcommunity,” provide basic housing for some. Asked Thursday why the motel structure sits boarded up, Jose Salas, a spokesman for the mayor, said in an email that “we are fully committed to transforming this property into affordable housing and are in the early stages of making necessary renovations.” Salas did not respond when asked when individuals might move into the building. He referred a reporter to multiple other city spokespeople, who also did not answer the question. The former Stay Inn at 12033 E. 38th Ave., seen in 2022. The previous owner bought it with plans to reopen it as a Travelodge, although it never operated under that name. (Eric Lutzens/The Denver Post) Katie Ross Wamsley, a spokeswoman for Denver’s Department of Housing Stability, or HOST, said in an email that the city “is currently working to convert this property to supportive housing, including looking at any infrastructure work that needs to be done.” “We are still in the evaluation and planning phase of this project but we are happy to share more when we have specifics,” Wamsley said, later adding “possible renovations include structural repairs to walkways and railings and electrical system repairs.” There was no active construction underway when a BusinessDen reporter visited last week. Hugo Weinberger, whose firm sold the city the motel, told BusinessDen last year that he made a number of upgrades to the building, including adding kitchenettes and a sprinkler system to bring the structure in line with current fire code. When Denver closed on the purchase, a HOST spokesman told BusinessDen the motel property would need to be rezoned to allow for the city’s intended use. Rezonings must be approved by the City Council. No application has been submitted to rezone the property, another city spokeswoman told BusinessDen Friday. https://businessden.com/2024/06/25/year-after-9m-deal-denver-hotel-bought-for-the-homeless-sits-boarded-up/

Statement To Lenexa City Council

July 16, 20204 Madam Mayor and members of the city council. Thank you for the opportunity to express concerns about the proposed homeless shelter at 95 th & I-35. My name is Dave Owen. I am a resident of Lenexa and I have been a resident of Johnson County for 76 years. During that time, I have been an elected State Senator representing all of Johnson County and Lt.governor representing the entire state. As part of your research on the impact of this planned development I urge you to read an article by Noah Festenstein of the Denver Gazette, which was written on April 27, 2024, and updated on May 2, 2024. You can find it by entering “Do Homeless shelters attractdrug trafficking” on google. Denver has been very active in converting old hotels to homeless shelters and Festenstein’ s article chronicles their experience. I want to read some of some of the more pertinentcomments for your consideration. Writing about 911 calls within 1,000 meters of Denver’s hotels turned shelters he says"there were an average of 833 calls made within 1,000 meters between Oct 1st-Jan 2 nd . Those calls included reports of shootings, drug use, theft or other acts of violence”. In particular, he points out that at the 4040 N. Quebec shelter, a former Doubletree Hotel, has seen the most trouble: seven people have died there, two by shooting. One hotel operator, Doc Miller who operates a bed and breakfast in the area had this to say “the city is literally falling into the second ring of hell, we are under siege”. 309 emergency 911 calls were made within 1,000 meters in the last three months of 2023, according topublic safety data. We already know that the intersection of 95 th and I-35 is a hotbed of drug and human trafficking as evidenced by the report of the Johnson County Criminal Justice Advisory Council which includes this Hotspot map. Drugs, drunkenness, human trafficking andprostitution are taking place at that location according to the Sheriff’s Department. Putting the proposed Homeless Shelter there is like throwing gas on a fire. This has been an ill-conceived proposal by the county commission led by Chairman Mike Kelly. It has not been properly vetted as evidenced by 6 th District Commissioner Shirley Allenbrand falsely stating that it would only house Johnson County residents.The buck is going to stop with you when they apply to the City of Lenexa for a Special Use Permit. I urge you to use your authority to put a stop to this ill-conceived idea. Mr. Owen