September 27, 2024
We’re excited to re-launch our Affordable Housing & Homelessness E-Newsletter, your go-to source for the latest updates, insights, and stories about Affordable Housing and Homelessness.
In each edition, we’ll share valuable data around homelessness, movement on affordable housing in our community, additional resources like the Collaborative Solutions podcast, and more. The goal of this newsletter is not only to highlight the challenges our community faces but to shine a light on the progress we’re making together.
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How many individuals are experiencing homelessness in Lawrence and Douglas County?
It’s a big question, but an important one. Every year in January, a dedicated group of community volunteers, City professionals, and social service workers embark on the Point-In-Time Count (PIT). Data collected during the PIT count provides a snapshot of the number of individuals experiencing homelessness across Lawrence and within Douglas County.
The PIT count shows that Douglas County had 414 people experiencing homelessness at that time. Of that total, 142 people were experiencing unsheltered homelessness, 137 people were in transitional housing, and 136 people were in emergency shelter. The graphic below represents that breakdown of individuals.
Read more details about the 2024 PIT Count and the City’s response here.
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Homelessness & Housing Data 2024 Year To Date (YTD)
This year’s PIT Count provides us with a idea of how many individuals are homeless in Lawrence and Douglas County, but what do we do with that information? How do we take this data and change lives?
The City’s Homeless Response Team (HRT) and local service providers like Bert Nash, Lawrence Community Shelter, and more head out in to the community to reach those individuals, build relationships, and connect them to services. Those relationships foster trust and allow service providers to bring people to resources like:
- Housing
- Case management
- Homeless diversion services to take families out of street homelessness and providing a hotel room while they are waiting to be connected to appropriate shelter or housing
- Helping individuals back to their home communities.
That data is broken down below and represents YTD numbers from service providers and the City’s HRT.
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Bed Night YTD Data Across Local Emergency Shelters
The current total number of available emergency shelter beds per night across Lawrence is 175. The graph below shows the average number of individuals in beds across the three emergency shelter programs:
- Continuous Stay: The 30 beds available as part of the Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS) Program where individuals can connect with case management and find housing while staying at LCS.
- The Village: A semi-permanent emergency shelter with 50 beds opened in Mid-March 2024 where individuals are assigned to a cabin and connected with services in a support village setting.
- Night-by-Night: 95 beds for individuals who stay at LCS from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.
As the graph shows, September had an average of 110 total beds in use leaving 65 available beds every night on average that month.
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Collaborative Solutions Podcast
Tune in to the Collaborative Solutions Podcast to connect with the stories of people emerging from homelessness to homes, service professionals, and City leaders.
Stay up to Date
More information on the community-wide efforts to end chronic homelessness in Lawrence and Douglas County is available on the A Place for Everyone website and the Homeless Solutions Division website.
Did you get this from someone else and want to sign up to receive updates right to your inbox? Click here to sign up for this newsletter under the Planning & Development section.
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Contact: City Communications, citycommunications@lawrenceks.org
About the City of Lawrence
The City of Lawrence supports an unmistakably vibrant community with innovative, equitable, transparent and responsible local government. Together, we are creating a community where everyone can enjoy life and feel at home.