After months of talking about how best to tackle homelessness in Kansas’ most affluent county, the Johnson County commission on Thursday allocated $6.35 million in federal funds for various proposals intended to increase affordable housing and support services for individuals experiencing homelessness.
Commissioners took separate votes on five items that ranged from building new houses and apartments to expanding space and providing supplies for county homeless shelters.
The vote secured the final destination for federal coronavirus relief funds that earlier this year had been pegged to be spent on a homeless shelter and services center at the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Lenexa.
But that idea proved controversial, drawing resistance from residents and Lenexa city officials.
Ultimately, the city’s planning commission and city council denied a special use permit required to move forward with the facility, leaving the federal funds in limbo.
The federal money must be obligated by December 31 and spent by the end of 2026, or the county would lose it. So commissioners asked staff members to draw up proposals to use the remaining funds.
5 ways that Johnson County will use the money
Here’s a breakdown of the uses the county commission approved Thursday:
- Habitat for Humanity — $2.47 million to acquire land and build more than 50 affordable homes in Johnson County.
- Friends of Johnson County Developmental Supports — $3.1 million to buy and renovate properties in downtown Overland park and Shawnee for multi-family housing for people with developmental disabilities.
- Salvation Army — $467,346 for expansion of its Family Shelter.
- Project 1020 — $137,654 for various supplies to support Johnson County’s only emergency warming cold-weather shelter, which is run out of a church in Lenexa during the winter months.
- United Community Services — $175,000 to collect and compile data regarding homelessness and affordable housing needs.
Habitat project does not yet have a locationThe Habitat for Humanity project will be similar to another similar project already underway dubbed Pathway at Heritage Park in Olathe.
That project is a housing development in which income-qualified buyers are able to purchase homes at 0% interest and reclaim a percentage of the market appreciation when the property is sold. They pay less than 30% of their monthly income on mortgage payments.
Buyers also must put 100 hours of labor into upkeep and pay property taxes and take advantage of homeowner education and budgeting counseling.
According to a county briefing sheet, Habitat would purchase around 20 acres that would be placed in a trust. The proposal is for $2.25 million for the acquisition and maintenance and $220,000 for construction.
There are no potential sites yet identified and there is no timeline yet for development, a fact that Gaylene Van Horn of Lenexa objected to during public comments. The absence of that information will make it difficult to track the project, she said.
“This is a pretty elegant program. It’s one that’s been tested and true not only here in Johnson County but in other places across the country,” and has had a positive impact on bringing home purchases into reach, said commission Chair Mike Kelly.
Commissioner Michael Ashcraft said he doesn’t think the project is sustainable as a long-term solution because of the cost.
“We need earlier interventions,” he said.
Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick said, “To me, with this money we can make a big impact in increasing the amount of actual affordable and attainable housing that’s available in Johnson County and that’s going to help everybody.”
The Habitat spending was approved 6-1, with Commissioner Charlotte O’Hara in dissent.
Housing for those with developmental disabilities
The largest single item approved Thursday would provide apartments in Overland Park and a duplex in Shawnee for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and mental health issues.
The Friends of Johnson County Developmental Supports has three lots under contract in the 7800 block of Floyd Street in Overland Park, with plans for a two-story apartment building with eleven one-bedroom units, four two-bedroom units, an office meeting space and a property manager for its clients.
The property will serve developmental supports and mental health clients and is expected to be completed in late 2026.
In Shawnee, a duplex at 6144 Roger Rd. has been purchased and will be renovated to bring it up to code and occupancy within about six months.
This project got unanimous approval.
Votes on the other three items
The Salvation Army expansion and money for supplies for Project 1020 were also unanimously approved with little discussion. The Salvation Army expansion money will pay for four new units of transitional housing for families who are homeless.
Project 1020, in Lenexa, is the county’s only cold-weather overnight shelter.
The fifth proposal for data management on housing issues passed 6-1, with O’Hara voting against.
