Johnson County might buy this $6M hotel to convert into a long-needed homeless shelter

Johnson County is considering spending $6.5 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding to purchase a Lenexa hotel to be converted into a permanent homeless shelter.

It would be a major step forward to meet a growing need in Kansas’ most affluent and populous county, after years of debates and inaction. Next week, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners is expected to consider purchasing the Lenexa property at 9461 and 9471 Lenexa Drive, the site of La Quinta Inn and Suites off of Interstate 35.

The site would be purchased with $6 million in federal Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, established by the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021. Another $500,000 in federal funding would go toward other work related to the sale during a 270-day period, including the county negotiating a buyout of hotel franchise fees, obtaining a private appraisal and conducting a title review.

The county is proposing a year-round homeless shelter with about 50 private rooms and support services to help residents work toward permanent housing. Officials also are putting out a request for proposals to select an owner and operator to take over the facility and manage the shelter.

“It’s a long time in the making,” Johnson County Chairman Mike Kelly told The Star. “It’s still a ways from fruition. But it’s a real sign of intent to do right by the most vulnerable in our community. That’s a goal that we set out ... a goal that has been championed by constituent groups and groups of faith in Johnson County for a long time. And it’s important.”

County officials for months have discussed using one-time federal relief dollars to establish a homeless shelter. Officials said in county documents that it would be too costly to build a new facility. And other office complexes and warehouse spaces reviewed were either too large or too expensive to renovate.

“Converting a hotel into a non-congregate shelter is the most economical and practical solution; however, not any hotel is ideal for conversion,” officials said, adding that the 106-room Lenexa hotel is the right size for the county’s needs, allowing for some expansion if needed.

“This property is centrally located and sits along major transportation routes, including several bus lines. It is close to jobs and other services, while also being nestled in a private nook off a frontage road, offering a bit of distance between the property and the nearest neighbors.”

Kelly said that if the sale is approved, there is still much work to do, including deciding a funding model for operating and maintaining the shelter once it opens.

Last December, commissioners also approved using nearly $4 million in federal dollars for establishing and developing a shelter, plus the costs of renovations needed to comply with the standards of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which administers the American Rescue Plan grant funds.

“We will be diligent with this as it hopefully moves forward to fruition,” Kelly said. “It’s been a goal for Johnson County for a long time, and I’m glad we’re delivering on the message we’re receiving from the people of Johnson County.”

A growing need

Advocates and faith leaders for years have pushed for the establishment of a permanent shelter in the county. Opposition from neighbors and strict zoning laws have made it difficult for groups to operate a temporary, winter shelter, let alone move forward with opening one year-round.

While unhoused families have a few options for shelter in Johnson County, only a handful of beds are available for single women. And no permanent shelter exists for single men.

City and county leaders have shown a stronger desire to address the need in the past couple of years. Some cities changed their laws to allow for and regulate homeless shelters. And last fall, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners allocated $60,000 of federal COVID relief funding toward studying the feasibility of opening a shelter.

Olathe Pastor Lee Jost, executive director of the nonprofit NCircle, and Lenexa Councilman Joe Karlin, who owns a consulting firm, have led the feasibility study. They presented early plans for the project to commissioners this past spring, including a shelter with as many as 50 beds, with adults expected to stay 90 days on average.

Jost said he wants to provide access to several resources, both on and off site, including food, transportation, workforce development, housing assistance, case management and health services, including dental and behavioral health.

Plans for such a shelter have come and gone over the years, often bringing neighborhood opposition. Meanwhile, Johnson County’s homeless population continues to grow.

According to last year’s “point in time” count — a one-night snapshot tally of the homeless population conducted by agencies across the country and locally — the number of people experiencing homelessness jumped by 35% from the year before. That’s likely partly due to the count being lower during the COVID pandemic. But it’s in line with a steady increase over several years.

One night in January 2022, the report showed, 212 people in Johnson County were living in emergency shelters, transitional housing, in tents, cars or on the streets. That’s up from 130 people in 2017, and 180 people in 2020.

Last year, 80% of those counted were adults without children.

Years of contention

The local nonprofit Project 1020 has been running a temporary shelter out of churches during the winter since 2015.

But it has only been able to house a small fraction of the people in Johnson County who need it. City regulations made it difficult for the temporary shelter to keep operating over the years.

In 2019, Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church sued the city of Lenexa for denying its request to shelter the homeless that winter. Out of the legal battle, both sides came to a three-year agreement, allowing the church to shelter up to 30 adults each night from December through March.

Most Johnson County cities do not have written rules stating when or where homeless shelters would be permissible, leading to heated neighborhood debates.

Following the lawsuit, Lenexa began exploring adding homeless shelter regulations to its city code. And now city law allows the shelter to operate each winter indefinitely, as long as it meets regulations. Shawnee also approved regulations for homeless shelters that year.

Lenexa requires that a homeless shelter be located more than 250 feet from residential properties and even further from schools. The site would likely require a special use permit to operate as a shelter.

The county’s progress on the issue comes as Kelly and other commissioners have made it a goal to tackle the affordable housing shortage. County leaders have been working to attract and incentivize the development of more affordable housing, something that leaders say is severely lacking for working families as home prices surge.

Commissioners will consider approving the real estate contract, purchasing the hotel site from MAA Krupa Lenexa, LLC, at its meeting on Dec. 14.