WRITER: Josie Heimsoth

Douglas County commissioners to hear about local agencies' efforts to help tenants facing eviction

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will hear an update on how local advocates and agencies are helping renters who face eviction. The commission will hear from several organizations working on eviction prevention and diversion initiatives, including the Douglas County District Court Self-Help Center, Kansas Holistic Defenders and Kansas Legal Services. All of these agencies have helped provide tenants ...

Homeless point-in-time count shows 63% decline in Douglas County's unsheltered homeless population

The final 2025 point-in-time homeless count said Lawrence and Douglas County has reduced its unsheltered homelessness by 63% in just one year. “While Lawrence’s unsheltered count is smaller than in large metro areas, the scale of change is extraordinary,” Misty Bosch-Hastings, director of the city’s homeless solutions division, said in a release. “Between January 2024 and January 2025, nearly 100 ...

Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence faces $750K shortfall amid new grant restrictions, calls on community to help fill the gap

As it faces new restrictions on grants and grapples with changes to federal programs, the Boys and Girls Club of Lawrence is facing a $750,000 shortfall this year, and it's urging donors and the community to help fill the gap. The Lawrence club is a major provider of after-school programs that serves more than 1,300 students each year. But problems started to appear this spring, when the organization announced ...

Community Children's Center's child care project now expected to open in September after experiencing construction delays

After construction delays caused it to miss its goal of opening in June, the nonprofit Community Children's Center's new child care project is now expected to open in September to provide more capacity for families in Douglas County. The CCC's Early Childhood Community Center, 346 Maine St., has been in the works for years now. When the Journal-World talked with executive director Kim Polson in March, she said ...

Douglas County commissioners approve $6.6M total cost for the second phase of the Public Safety Building

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday approved the $6.6 million cost for the second phase of the Public Safety Building project, which will add just two months to the building's original construction timeline. At their weekly meeting, the commissioners voted unanimously to approve the cost for the second phase of the Public Safety Building — which will be on land adjacent to the Douglas County jail, 3601 ...

Douglas County commissioners to consider $6.6M budget for new Public Safety Building's second phase

Douglas County commissioners on Wednesday will consider approving a $6.6 million budget for the second phase of the Public Safety Building project that would finish out space inside the building for the Sheriff’s Office. The budget for the second phase, if approved, would bring the total costs of Douglas County's two big public safety building projects — the Judicial and Law Enforcement Center renovation ...