City commissioners are in a quandary. They have a $570,000 trust fund but aren’t sure how they want to spend it.

Commissioners have a long list of affordable housing issues that the fund could address. But there’s also a growing debate on what services the community should provide for the homeless, and commissioners know that could require a significant amount of new revenue.

So on Tuesday night, commissioners unanimously agreed to defer a decision on how to spend the remaining money in the city’s Housing Trust Fund until they receive a report from a city group studying homeless issues.

“I would really love to see the homeless task force report before we give away $570,000,” said City Commissioner David Schauner. “I want us to have as much flexibility as we can in addressing those issues.”

Schauner said the Housing Trust Fund money might be the city’s best opportunity to fund future start-up costs for new services designed to help the city’s homeless population. But commissioners said the homeless issue was becoming problematic because they had no idea how much money the task force, which has been meeting for more than two years, might request.

“There are a whole lot of questions out there with that issue,” said City Commissioner Mike Amyx. “The only thing certain is there are a whole lot of requests for not a lot of money.”

City commissioners asked members of the city’s Task Force on Homeless Services to deliver a report by the end of this month.

Tuesday’s decision means that six organizations will have to wait to find out whether they will receive trust fund money to fund affordable housing projects. The city’s Housing Trust Fund Board had recommended that the following organizations receive funding:

¢ Emergency Services Council, $10,800 to fund a low-income rental assistance program;

6News video: Decision on housing funds put off

Proposals pose tough choices for city’s Housing Trust Fund (05-13-05)

6News video: Community service agencies vie for

affordable housing fund (05-12-05)

¢ Lawrence Community Shelter and other service providers, $36,225 to purchase a new computer software system to gather data on the homeless population and better coordinate services;

¢ Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, $200,000 for the development of nine new units of affordable housing apartments for the elderly;

¢ Lawrence Habitat for Humanity, $100,000 for acquisition of new property to build affordable homes;

¢ The Salvation Army, $48,775 to fund a program to help formerly homeless individuals find housing in private apartments;

¢ Tenants to Homeowners, $175,000 for land acquisition as part of the Community Land Trust.

Commissioners also were told that they shouldn’t spend any of the money, but rather should find a permanent funding source for the trust fund so that it could grow to tackle large housing issues.

“I think the Housing Trust Fund could be a player in setting up projects that no other group could tackle,” said Hilda Enoch, a Lawrence resident. “But they’re giving away all that funding, and then what? They won’t be a player then.”