From the Lawrence Daily Journal-World for Feb. 28, 1989:

Four Kansas University architecture students this week presented results of their research on ways the Lawrence community could help homeless people. The students, two from Kansas and two from out of state, invited city and social service officials to a briefing at Marvin Hall to “join with others concerned about the problem and create a long-term solution,” said Mark Gillem, one of the students. Gillem, an architecture student from Kansas City, Kansas, said the homeless issue in Lawrence was complex and involved an estimated 15 to 50 of the city’s inhabitants, some of whom received services from Headquarters, the Salvation Army, or the Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen (LINK). Obstacles to construction of a permanent shelter, the students said, included the lack of funding and the “Not in My Backyard” syndrome. “No matter where you put a homeless shelter in Lawrence … you will get a lot of resistance and opposition,” said David Walsh, a student from Creve Coeur, Mo. Pointing out that downtown was an important area for the homeless, the students suggested four potential sites where a new or renovated shelter could be built. They were: The vacant Coca-Cola building at 646 Connecticut; the recently vacated Litwin’s building at 830 Massachusetts; and a vacant lot at 1110 Connecticut and a parking lot at 12th and Connecticut, either of which could be used for construction, students said.