City of Lawrence to place bathroom and shower trailer at North Lawrence support site

Sep 14, 2023

Maureen BradyMarch 6, 2023City

Added resource will fill need until Pallet Shelter Village is operational

By the end of this week, March 12, the City of Lawrence will install a bathroom and shower trailer at the temporary support site in North Lawrence. This trailer provides an additional hygiene resource that will be needed during the interim period from March 12 — after the Winter Emergency Shelter closes for the season — until June, which is when the Pallet Shelter Village opens.

The climate-controlled bathroom and shower trailer will make it easier for those staying at the North Lawrence support site to access needed hygiene resources. When the temporary support site in North Lawrence was initially constructed, the City had several concerns that delayed the installation of a bathroom and shower trailer, including freezing water lines and a lack of staff to support the added facility. With the changing weather and increased staff at the site, the City now has sufficient supports in place to operate the trailer. The City is very nearly at its goal of completely staffing the support site 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week.

The North Lawrence site has always been envisioned as temporary. With the Winter Emergency Shelter closing, there will be a gap of several months before the Pallet Shelter Village is operational, so these additional resources are being implemented during this interim period.

Once the Pallet Shelter Village is open, the City will only provide support, including bathroom and shower trailers, at that location. Those currently at the temporary support site will be given the first opportunity to move to one of the new Pallet cabins.

Members of the City's Planning & Development Services Department have been closely involved in planning at the temporary support site throughout this process, and the team is aware that both the new bathroom and shower trailer and the additional administrative and donation storage trailer recently added to the site are in violation of current City code; however, both are being overlooked in the interest of public health and welfare and due to the temporary nature of the added facilities. The City will not be seeking a building permit for the bathroom and shower trailer but will ensure all facilities meet safety requirements.

The support site in North Lawrence continues to be a temporary solution for emergency shelter until the Pallet Shelter Village is operational. The City is also working with partners at the Lawrence Community Shelter to increase their overnight shelter capacity once the Winter Emergency Shelter closes.

These plans are part of the City's ongoing work in the "Built for Zero" initiative. The ultimate solution to homelessness is housing. While neither the support site in North Lawrence nor the soon-to-be built Pallet Shelter Village are housing, they serve as emergency shelter solutions that help transition people experiencing homelessness off the street so that they have access to the resources they need in order to become housed. These processes take time, and the City is committed to the work ahead.

Contact: Porter Arneill, Director of Communications & Creative Resources, [email protected]