To:     Mayor Highberger and City Commission Members

From: Helen Hartnett and Loring Henderson, Co-Chairs,

Community Commission on Homeless (CCH)

Re:     UPR recommendations for the Lawrence Community Shelter

Date: March 1, 2006

As instructed by the City Commission on December 13, 2005, the Community Commission on Homelessness (CCH) has reviewed the UPR request made by the Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS) and makes the following recommendations. These recommendations are the result of several special meetings of the CCH and a decision making process which required 70% consensus.   The CCH believes that these recommendations provide an equitable solution that is responsive to the concerns of the neighborhood and responsible to the realities of a social service organization.

The following points highlight the rationale behind each recommendation:

1. a. There are current mechanisms through which any UPR can be questioned and re-visited at any time during its existence. For this reason, the CCH recommends a 5-year UPR to allow the Lawrence Community Shelter time to work on resolving neighborhood concerns while also planning for future program development including potential relocation.

b. It is recommended that the annual report of shelter activity be provided to the CCH as part of its charge in reviewing and gathering community information, in addition to being submitted to the City of Lawrence Planning Department.

c. The site plan condition requiring that the LCS be responsible for loitering within150 feet of the shelter is not an enforceable condition. The CCH recommends that it be removed.

2. This item remains the same.

3. This item has been reworded for clarity but the substance remains unchanged.

4. The original six conditions placed on this item have been consolidated into two conditions while retaining the substance of the concerns of the Planning Commission, the community, and the agency.

Thank you for the opportunity to develop these recommendations.  It is our hope that you will support and approve these recommendations.  The CCH is available at your convenience to answer questions or to discuss these recommendations further.

In response to its direction from the City Commission, the Community Commission on Homelessness recommends the following terms and conditions for the Use Permitted upon Review (UPR) for the Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS). The CCH believes these recommendations are in the spirit of the conditions attached to the UPR request by the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission which seemed to want:

1. A plan for regulating client behavior on the exterior of the premises.

2. A process for accountability of shelter activities.

3. A recognition and description on the part of LCS of its having adequate staffing levels and financial requirements.

4. A description of steps to be taken to have good neighborhood relations.

The Community Commission on Homelessness (CCH) recommends approval of a five-year Use Permitted upon Review (UPR) for the Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS) with the following conditions:

1. Revision of the site plan to include the following changes:

          a. Notation indicating the use is permitted for five years and approval will expire March 7, 2011. Applicant will need to submit a new request to continue the UPR prior to that date.

          b. Notation indicating that an annual report of shelter activity shall be submitted to the CCH for review and the Planning Department to be kept on file each year.

          c. Strike from the site plan notation indicating that the Lawrence Community Shelter “will enforce a no loitering policy within 150 feet of the proposed property.”

2. Submittal of a Site Plan Performance Agreement

3. The LCS will not increase occupancy from 30-33 until an occupancy permit is provided to Planning by Neighborhood Resources Department.

4. During a 1-year time period, the shelter should do the following:

          a. Provide an annual report of shelter activity that will include the following:

                   1. Accomplishments in serving the LCS guests

                   2. Program descriptions and staffing levels

                   3. Program and staffing projection and costs

b. Develop a mechanism for communication with neighbors and the neighborhood association.

          1. Work with the Community Cooperation Committee (CCC) appointed by the CCH.

          2. Develop a Good Neighbor Agreement describing responsibilities of both the LCS and neighbors.