The first of December marked the beginning of the ninth winter of operations for Project 1020, Johnson County’s only low-barrier-to-entry homeless shelter. “If I had 75 beds, they would all be filled and I’d still need more,” McEver said. “We’re easily seeing that many people here every night.” McEver said the 30 beds Project 1020 is currently allowed by the city of Lenexa are simply not enough to meet the growing demand they are facing each day. The shelter operates out of the Shawnee Mission Unitarian Universalist Church at 9400 Pflumm Rd. She keeps extensive data and analyzes it for trends and hard truths, she said. One increase that keeps sticking out and weighing heavily on her is the increase in women looking for a place to sleep. “The demand is surging, and we have seen an increase in our female occupants going from 27% last year to 38% this year,” McEver said. “There’s more new faces than ever.” Last week, the Johnson County Board of Commissioners voted to approve the purchase of a Lenexa hotel to be converted into the county’s first and only year-round shelter and service center for those experiencing homelessness, a move that to local advocates could change the course of how homelessness is addressed in Johnson County. The lack of space isn’t a new phenomenon. When the Post spoke with Project 1020 last spring, their April 1 deadline to close until December was rapidly approaching. Jim Schmidt and the other volunteers were busy getting the facility cleaned and ready to shutter for the next eight months. McEver was already discussing how inadequate the 30 beds were, and lamented that the space couldn’t be kept available year round to those in need. There had also been some positive things to report from last winter. The showers they had installed were working out very well, and they no longer had to transport people off site to get cleaned up.
Source: KCUR News
