photo by: Kim Callahan/Journal-World

The Community Building at 115 W. 11th St. is pictured on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021.

The City of Lawrence is once again planning to use the Community Building as a temporary winter shelter for people experiencing homelessness and is seeking volunteers to help staff it.

The Winter Emergency Shelter will have room for 75 people and is scheduled to operate from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. from Dec. 1, 2022, through March 12, 2023, at the Community Building, 115 E. 11th St. Homeless Programs Coordinator Jenn Wolsey told city leaders this week that it’s estimated about 160 people are living outside, and while the shelter will help house some of them overnight, the city may still also need to operate a city-run campsite that the division plans to locate in North Lawrence throughout the winter season.

This will be the fourth year that the city and/or volunteers will help operate a temporary overnight cold-weather shelter following a capacity reduction at the Lawrence Community Shelter in 2019. The winter shelter has typically provided overnight shelter only when the overnight temperature is expected to drop below 35 degrees. Homeless Programs Project Specialist Cicely Thornton said temperature will not be a factor this year, and the winter shelter will be open continuously as long as there are enough volunteers to staff it.

Like last year, in addition to the community volunteers, the city will provide some staff support for the winter shelter.

Last winter, there were times when the city was in danger of not having enough staff to operate the shelter. The news release states that, ideally, the city is seeking community organizations and groups — such as faith-based organizations, advocate groups, service organizations, nonprofits, school-based organizations — to volunteer for repeating shifts throughout the winter season. For example, a group could sign on to have volunteers at the shelter every Tuesday throughout its operation. Volunteer shifts will be from 7 to 11 p.m., 11 p.m. to 5 a.m., and 5 to 8 a.m.

As the Journal-World has reported, the Lawrence Community Shelter reduced the number of beds it provides from 125 to 65 in August 2019, initially due to budget issues, and has continued to operate at a lower capacity due to staffing issues as well its recent “housing first” approach that focuses on quickly housing people. The shelter’s website states it is currently serving up to 50 individuals and two families. Wolsey said this week that city staff are exploring opportunities for longer-term strategies for spring 2023 and beyond, including additional shelter options, a longer-term campsite located outside the downtown area, as well as the city’s continued work on affordable housing and outside efforts to develop more supportive housing.

Individuals or community groups interested in volunteering at the Winter Emergency Shelter can email the city’s homeless programs team at homelessprograms@lawrenceks.org. The release states that for planning purposes and to ensure the success of the shelter this year, the city is hoping to have all volunteer organizations accounted for by the end of October.