photo by: Journal-World

The west side of the Douglas County Courthouse, 1100 Massachusetts St.

To help very low-income residents maintain stable housing, Douglas County and two nonprofits hope to create a pool of funding to assist them with rent, utilities and other financial needs, a project that could take a step forward this week.

The program is called a “flexible housing pool,” and it would be a collaborative effort between the county, the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Bert Nash Community Mental Health Center. At their meeting on Wednesday, county commissioners will consider an agreement that outlines what each organization’s role will be.

The county’s role is to provide the funding, according to a memo to county commissioners in Wednesday’s meeting agenda. In its 2025 budget, it’s set aside about $600,000 generated by its behavioral health sales tax for the program, which it expects will be able to help up to 22 households transition into more stable housing.

Not all of that money will go directly to tenants in the form of rental and utility assistance, though; some of it will be used for the program’s overhead, and some will be used to provide case management and other supportive services for the tenants.

The supportive services would be Bert Nash’s responsibility. It would evaluate each participant in the program and create a “housing self-sufficiency plan” for them. That could include referring them to mental health services or employment assistance; helping them apply for other benefits; and anything else that might help them maintain their housing.

LDCHA, on the other hand, would administer the financial assistance. It would have about $316,000 to use for rental assistance, $105,000 for utility assistance, and about $41,000 in “flexible” funding to help people pay for things like security deposits and other fees.

Tenants would not be applying for the housing pool themselves. Instead, people who are most in need would be identified and referred through a state system called the Balance of State Continuum of Care, which collects data about individuals and families experiencing homelessness to help connect them to services. The program would give priority to those who are chronically homeless or are most at risk of becoming homeless; that includes people fleeing from domestic violence or human trafficking and those who face other obstacles to housing, such as recently having been hospitalized or incarcerated.

A county spokesperson told the Journal-World via email that the goal of serving 22 households won’t be reached immediately. Rather, more households will be added to the program gradually to ensure that the onboarding process goes smoothly. The county hopes to hit the goal of 22 households served by the end of 2025, the spokesperson said.

If the agreement is approved, the timeline calls for the program to start accepting referrals in mid- to late April.

In other business, county commissioners will:

• Consider approving a site plan for the redevelopment of the existing Franklin Cemetery, which was last used for burials in 1918. The property is being cared for by the Knights of Columbus organization with St. John’s Catholic Church, and they hope to add a new driveway on the north side of the property so that they can open the cemetery back up for burials. Lawrence currently has only one cemetery that caters to the Catholic faith, the Mount Calvary cemetery just east of the city-owned Oak Hill Cemetery, and it is nearing its capacity.

• Consider authorizing Public Works to renew a contract with Straight-Line Striping Inc. for pavement markings on county roads, totaling just over $311,000.

• Consider a resolution allowing only 50 vehicles per day on East 902 Road north of Rock Chalk Drive. Kanwaka Township, which maintains the gravel road, worked with Public Works to establish the limit, and it will remain in place until the road is “annexed and improved to city standards,” according to a memo in the agenda.

• Consider two vehicles to be used as emergency response vehicles at Palmyra Fire District #2 in Baldwin City. Kansas law states that county commissioners must designate the vehicles and what the requirements are for vehicles to operate as authorized emergency vehicles.

• Hear an update on the District Court Legal Self-Help Center, which provides resources to people who are representing themselves in Douglas County District Court. This discussion will take place during a work session, meaning that the commission is not expected to take any action afterward.

The County Commission’s work session will begin at 4 p.m. Wednesday in the Douglas County Commission meeting room at 1100 Massachusetts St. The business meeting will follow at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will also be available via Zoom.