The Lawrence Community Shelter is working to find ways to accommodate an increased number of homeless in their shelter as a result of the June 1 closing of the Salvation Army’s overnight shelter.

The LCS, 214 W. 10th St., has had to accommodate about 75 homeless people in the limited space it has at this time, more than twice the number of people allowed by a city permit.

Loring Henderson, director of the LCS, said there had been a plan for the Salvation Army to close its shelter and continue to help transition homeless people to housing. However, the Salvation Army shelter closed sooner than Henderson had hoped and the LCS was not prepared to take in the people who stayed at the Salvation Army shelter. To make space for the extra people, Henderson said, the LCS had to hire four new part-time workers and find cooks to feed everyone. He said they also had to reduce space for job programs to allow for more areas for people to sleep.

“People are doing it in good spirits,” Henderson said. “The homeless are pretty flexible. Even a mat is better than sleeping on the streets.”

Kate Mallula, 2009 graduate, began working as a volunteer at the LCS after she heard that the Salvation Army was closing its shelter and that the LCS was in need of help.

“It’s one thing to see a homeless person on the street. It’s another to see how they eat and sleep. It’s an exercise in understanding,” Mallula said. “It’s definitely one of the more rewarding things I do with my time.”

At a city commission meeting on June 16, Fire Chief Mark Bradford said the building the LCS used was not up to code for fire emergencies. The city already granted the LCS a Special Use Permit to allow them to house about 30 people in the overnight shelter. Since then, the shelter has had to accommodate more than twice as many people, violating the terms of its permit. Bradford said the LCS would either have to expand or find a larger space.

Mayor Robert Chestnut said that the city would provide specific recommendations for expansion, but that an amended permit must go through the planning process like any other land use request.

“I am hopeful the LCS resolves these issues quickly,” Chestnut said. “I believe LCS, the City of Lawrence and the community want to provide the services in the community to serve those residents in need.”

Chestnut said the city had made available almost $80,000 in stimulus money through the Community Development Block Grant Program to address the need for emergency housing.

Henderson said the money from the Community Development Block Grant Program would be sufficient to bring the LCS’ current building up to code. He said the organization needed three estimates: plumbing work, new emergency sprinklers and an emergency exit.

Henderson said the shelter was most packed with Lawrence’s homeless population at night. People who want to stay overnight must check in between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. He said lines of people stood around the front entrance. Others got settled on their mattresses, which were placed close to one another on the tile floor of the building’s small rooms.

“I definitely think that a new space needs to be found,” Mallula said. “I think this whole idea of ‘not in my backyard’ is a little far-fetched. They need access to social services. It shows that there is a lot of fear and misunderstandings surrounding the homeless.”

At the June 16 city commission meeting, several downtown business owners told the mayor and city commissioners that the location of the shelter was hurting their businesses.

Chestnut said the Community Commission on Homelessness, put together by a previous commission to address homeless issues, recognized that the current location for the LCS was not ideal for a number of reasons, including its location. The CCH suggested constructing one emergency shelter that would house about 75 individuals.

The recommendation also supports a program designed to transition people from homelessness to housing. Henderson said the LCS had been trying to finalize a site to establish the new emergency shelter, but had not found a building with the proper facilities and necessary fire safety devices.

“They have an overall housing vision,” Chestnut said. “We currently have pieces of the vision in place, but the community has a long ways to go for this vision to become a reality.”

Mallula said most of the people staying in the LCS building did not go to Massachusetts Street to panhandle. He said some got day work and others stayed in.

“Everybody is human. If you can’t get past that, your ability to help them is limited. If you don’t like it, help them find somewhere to live,” Mallula said. “I think it’s important to understand that nobody chooses to live that way.”

Chestnut said the city must move quickly to locate a permanent site because of the stress the existing location was placing on downtown and surrounding neighborhoods. The challenge will be finding the right location, he said.

After finding and finalizing a site by agreeing to a price with the seller, the LCS has to start raising money to buy the site and make it a usable space for the programs the LCS has for the homeless.

“It all sounds so easy and it’s not at all.” Henderson said.

— — Edited by Jesse Rangel