(NEWTON, Kan.) — They have bought the land and followed all the rules. But the Harvey County Homeless Shelter may not be allowed to build a new facility. The problem? Residents in a nearby historic neighborhood have safety concerns.
The Harvey County Homeless Shelter is run entirely by hundreds of volunteers from local churches. They don't have the best of facilities.
“We're in the basement of an old hospital,” said Lee Penner, president of the shelter’s governing board.
And they're running out of room. “Where we're really limited is in our ability to serve families.”
A tour, even without the residents present, immediately shows how cramped conditions are.
“There's a family room that's basically in an office, a small office,” Penner said. “Because we've run out of space.”
Members of the Newton City Commission approve of the shelter's work.
“I think the people that are involved at the homeless shelter are providing a service there, and doing a very nice job of it,” said Jim Nickel, Newton’s Vice Mayor.
