The Salvation Army and Lawrence Open Shelter plan within the next two weeks to announce a joint effort to offer winter shelter for homeless people who drink.

Salvation Army Administrator Rich Forney informed city officials of the intentions in a letter, which Commissioner David Dunfield read at Tuesday’s commission meeting. Forney was unavailable for comment.

After hearing the news, Dunfield and his fellow commissioners tabled a request from the Lawrence Coalition for Homeless Concerns to use the empty Carnegie Library for such a shelter.

But Hilda Enoch, chairwoman of the Lawrence Coalition for Homeless Concerns, told commissioners the delay would be too long.

“It’s what we do with people tonight, tomorrow night,” she said. “It’s getting colder.”

Commissioners were unlikely to approve the request, anyway, after a report that found using the building would create safety and liability issues.

“I’m not against it if it could be done safely for staff and the people who are staying there,” Commissioner Marty Kennedy said. “It is not feasible at this time.”

But Maggie Beedles, a proponent of using the Carnegie for shelter, countered, “It’s more dangerous to have people living on the streets during the winter.”

The Salvation Army, 946 N.H., already offers year-round shelter, but does not admit people who have been drinking.

The Carnegie building at Ninth and Vermont streets has been mostly empty since earlier this year, when the Lawrence Arts Center vacated it for new digs at 940 N.H. Before that, the structure served as the city’s library from 1904 to 1972, reputedly the location where writer Langston Hughes read some of his first books. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is being used for occasional events since the arts center moved out.

Commissioners have said they’ll spend $500,000 to make the most urgent repairs before deciding the building’s permanent future use. City Manager Mike Wildgen said repairs would get under way by March 1.

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Enoch said her organization would make do without the repairs and was willing to take responsibility for the safety issues.

“I plead with you – if that’s all we have, it’s a heck of a lot better than the street,” she said.

Kennedy wouldn’t hear of it.

“There’s no way that a city commission in its right mind should allow people to stay (overnight) in one of its buildings, in this condition,” he said.

Commissioner Mike Rundle was the only commissioner to sound a favorable note toward the idea, saying many of the code problems were present while the arts center occupied the building until earlier this year.

“With the simple needs of shelter, really, it’s hard to say what they’re asking to do is extremely out-of-line with what’s gone on there in the past,” Rundle said.

Enoch warned the delay could lead to deaths among the homeless.

“We’re talking,” she said, “about people with no place to be.”