As the Lawrence community considers different strategies for a citywide response to the homelessness crisis, residents of a temporary campsite are living through the reality of the situation day to day. Lawrence city leaders have been getting heat from community members ranging from business owners to housing advocates to local residents, both housed and unhoused, sharing numerous concerns about safety issues within and surrounding the camp. Some are advocating for more resources to be put into the camp’s management, to help support Jenn Wolsey, homeless programs coordinator for the city’s Homeless Initiatives Division, who has been running the site. Others believe the city should be putting the funding for the temporary campsite toward a more permanent housing solution altogether. Wolsey said in a recent interview that the ultimate goal is to help those experiencing homelessness to find housing, but it could take years for the city to have enough affordable housing stock in place. “So in the short term, we do have to focus on the emergency service part just to keep people alive to get to that point,” she said.
Source: The Lawrence Times
