A shelter for homeless people under the influence of alcohol can open within weeks — but only because the Lawrence City Commission has decided to ignore the law.

Dudley Crow, an official with Lawrence Open Shelter Inc., told commissioners Tuesday his organization now had the money it needed to operate a shelter at 944 Ky., the same building that houses the Community Drop-In Center. But it would take until late March to get legal zoning approval for the project.

That’s too much time, Crow said. It is cold now.

“There will be women sleeping in cars with their children tonight,” he said.

Commissioners agreed. They said they would wait a week to give “unofficial, temporary” approval to use the building as an overnight shelter, ordering that neighbors were to be notified in the meantime.

“We have allowed illegal uses to continue past the date we found them,” Assistant City Manager Dave Corliss told the commission. “But I can’t tell you this follows the law. It does not follow the law.”

The Salvation Army operates a city-subsidized homeless shelter at 10th and New Hampshire streets. But it generally does not allow people who have been drinking to stay overnight.

Homeless advocates have spent this winter trying to find alternative shelter for homeless drinkers. The city commission twice rejected attempts by the Lawrence Coalition for Homeless Concerns to use the empty Carnegie Library at Ninth and Vermont streets for the purpose.

In December, Crow made a public appeal for $20,000 in private donations for Lawrence Open Shelter Inc. to provide the winter shelter. Tuesday, he said the donations had been promised.

The Community Drop-In Center isn’t allowed to have guests overnight under city codes. To get that permission, Lawrence Open Shelter Inc. filed papers this week to get official “Use Permitted Upon Review” designation. The earliest that process could conclude is March 25.

“By that time, the issue is moot,” Commissioner Jim Henry said. “In the meantime, there’s a situation we’re being asked to address directly.”

Other commissioners agreed, saying human need took precedence over legal technicalities.

“I would be willing to step out on a limb on this,” Commissioner David Dunfield said.

Neighbors within 200 feet of the property would have standing to complain, but Crow said many of the adjoining properties were owned by the drop-in center’s landlord, James Dunn, and by several churches that sponsor Lawrence Open Shelter Inc.

The commission will consider giving the unofficial permission at its next meeting, 6:35 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall, Sixth and Massachusetts streets.