Tell them NO Lenexa Homeless Shelter

Johnson County government has approved a homeless shelter at 95^th & 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.

1. 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?
   
   
2. 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.
   
   
3. 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.
   
   
4. 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 
5. Will this drive away businesses in the area?
   
   
6. 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.
   
   
7. 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.
   
   
8. 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.
   
   
9. 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.
   
   
10. 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/