… the City of Lawrence is planning to create a department specifically focused on unhoused people. The Lawrence city manager’s proposed budget for 2024 includes creation of a Homeless Programs Department with a budget of $2 million. The draft budget anticipates about $471.3 million in total expenditures in 2024. “Affordable housing and homelessness were the top identified issues facing our community during the strategic planning process,” City Manager Craig Owens wrote in his 2024 budget memo to the commission. City commissioners will review the draft budget Tuesday during their regular meeting at City Hall. The budget discussion will be a work session, so the commissioners will provide feedback and hear public comment but will not take any binding votes on the budget. There are more than 200 people experiencing homelessness in Lawrence currently, according to the city’s estimates, which city and county staff members have consistently said is likely much lower than the true number. The city is not a service provider. Instead, the city provides emergency and sanctuary shelter, giving providers such as Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) access to the population.
Source: The Lawrence Times
