By Jody Hanson

Johnson County is getting farther down the path than ever before towards having an all-year, 24-hour a day homeless services center to fill a much-needed gap in community services.

What is the latest for this project?

At the end of July, the Board of County Commissioners authorized Chairman Mike Kelly to execute an assignment agreement with reStart, Inc, which was selected in April by a community-driven process to serve as the owner/operator of the homeless services center. Its proposed site is a hotel near I-35 and 95th Street in Lenexa.

The assignment agreement sets the terms of transferring the hotel property from the county to reStart at the time of closing, including roles and responsibilities for both parties. It has a deed restriction that the primary use of the property will be a non-congregate shelter for 10 years, and failure to do so reverts ownership back to the county. The July board action also authorized the reallocation and expenditure of $3.7 million from the Countywide Support Funds, which originated from federal COVID-19 funding, to reStart for renovations, with 10% towards early operating costs and capacity building.

“This action reaffirms the county’s commitment to ending homelessness and supporting some of the most vulnerable members of our community as they work towards stabilization, permanent housing and employment,” said BOCC Chairman Mike Kelly.

Is homelessness an issue for older adults in Johnson County?

In January, United Community Services of Johnson County did a Point in Time count to measure how many people in Johnson County are experiencing homelessness. The 2024 data showed that 250 people were in transitional housing, in a shelter or unsheltered, and 16% were people over age 55.

“Where in the broad population we typically consider older adults as people 65 and older, those experiencing homelessness who are 50 and older are considered older adults,” said Kristy Baughman, executive director of UCS. “This is because research shows people experiencing homelessness in their 50’s can have memory loss, falls and functional impairments similar to people in the broader population in their 70s.”

Next Steps

The city of Lenexa is considering reStart’s application for a Special Use Permit, which would be required for a homeless services center to operate at the intended location. The project is tentatively scheduled for consideration at Lenexa’s planning commission meeting on Aug. 26 and then by the Lenexa City Council on Sept. 17.

Other August activity is taking place as this magazine is going to print. This includes the creation of a city/county fund to support reStart’s operation costs, as well as some public informational meetings. The best way to keep up to date on the homeless services center is by visiting jocogov.org/homeless-services-center.

Jody Hanson is director of public affairs and communications at the Johnson County Manager’s Office.