photo by: Courtesy of Lawrence Community Shelter Board of Directors

James Chiselom

Story updated at 3:50 p.m. Friday, Dec. 22, 2023:

The next executive director at the Lawrence Community Shelter has been announced, and he starts in two weeks.

On Friday, LCS Board of Directors President Charlie Bryan announced that James Chiselom — currently the deputy director for community needs and services at the Topeka Rescue Mission — has accepted the role and will start Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. As the Journal-World reported, the LCS board voted to authorize the hire Thursday night at its most recent meeting.

Bryan told the Journal-World Friday that Chiselom was hired with a starting annual salary of $100,000. That compensation is also subject to performance reviews at the six-month and 12-month marks, Bryan said.

According to Friday’s announcement, Chiselom has spent more than 20 years working to serve vulnerable populations facing housing crises, homelessness, substance abuse disorders and mental health challenges.

In his role with the Topeka Rescue Mission, Chiselom has overseen the mission’s distribution center and Street Reach team. Chiselom has also previously served as the Emergency Solutions Grant program manager at the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, where he managed U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development-funded programs.

“The board firmly believes that James’ leadership will drive the growth and expansion of services at Lawrence Community Shelter, aligning with the evolving needs of our community,” the announcement reads. “His experience and strategic vision will propel our organization forward.”

With the hire, Chiselom replaces Melanie Valdez, who has served as the shelter’s interim director since April 2022. He will be responsible for helping LCS to significantly expand its services in 2024, both through expanded shelter capacity and operating The Village, the community of 64-square-foot Pallet cabins for individuals experiencing homelessness at 256 N. Michigan St.

The Topeka Rescue Mission is a faith-based organization that runs a men’s shelter and a shelter for women, children and families, both of which are staffed 365 days a year. The Street Reach team that Chiselom has overseen is responsible for locating unsheltered individuals who are living in tents, under bridges or in wooded areas and introducing them to Topeka Rescue Mission services. The team also provides those individuals with food, water and clothing.