Johnson County approves $25,000 for hotel vouchers to cover overflow cold‑weather shelter needs
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
The board unanimously approved reallocating up to $25,000 from general fund reserves to Project 10 20 for hotel/motel vouchers to house people when the county shelter is at capacity; officials and service providers said the funding is a short-term, life‑saving measure while longer-term housing solutions continue.
The Johnson County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 15 voted unanimously to reallocate up to $25,000 from general fund reserves to Project 10 20 to pay for hotel and motel vouchers for overflow cold‑weather shelter needs.
County staff described the request as a short‑term response to disruptions in federal homelessness funding and to nights when the county’s seasonal shelter reaches capacity. County staff said Project 10 20 has already incurred more than $9,300 in hotel costs this season and that any unused funds would be returned to the county at season’s end.
Rita Carr, director of community planning at United Community Services, which serves as the lead agency for the Johnson County continuum of care, told the board the funding would keep more people out of extreme cold. “These temperatures can truly be deadly, especially for those with chronic health conditions,” Carr said, citing a 10‑day forecast with many nights below freezing and a 10‑year point‑in‑time trend showing a 620 percent increase in unsheltered homelessness in the county.
Christie Boffman, executive director of United Community Services, said service providers are exhausted and that voucher funding is temporary but necessary while the county and partners pursue long‑term affordable housing solutions.
Public commenter Brian Perkins, who identified himself as experiencing homelessness, urged support for Project 10 20 and told the board, “These are people’s lives,” describing instances where people were turned away because the shelter was full.
Commissioners debated the size and scope of the request and its place in the budget process, with several saying the allocation is a measured, limited response to an urgent need. County staff described the planned accounting: standard grant agreements and reporting that would track room nights and expenditures.
The motion, as stated on the record, authorized the county manager or designee to develop procedures and execute an agreement in connection with the appropriation. The vote was 7 in favor, none opposed.
The board and service providers emphasized the allocation is not a long‑term solution but said it would provide immediate relief during the remaining cold‑weather shelter season, defined by shelters as Dec. 1–March 31.