Consultant recommends new homeless shelter, tiny homes in Topeka

TOPEKA (KSNT) – Eight tiny homes. A new homeless shelter. A homeless resource center. Those are the three keys for reducing homelessness in Topeka, according to a final report from a consultant firm hired by the city using taxpayer dollars.

Sylver Consulting is making the following three recommendations to the city for decreasing homelessness in Topeka:

• Build a “village of eight tiny homes … within a neighborhood of Topeka.”
• Build a new homeless shelter with few restrictions. Weapons would not be allowed, but pets would.
• Open a homeless resource center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. three days a week, where homeless people can access “a comprehensive array of on-site services.”

The recommendations come after more than 1,000 hours spent understanding the problem, Sylver Consulting said. The recommendations involved 30 homeless experts, 60 community members and 20 pieces of literature.

More details on the three projects, from Sylver’s recommendations:

Tiny home village:

• Should go into a neighborhood that’s “near a transit line.”
• Each tiny home would have a small kitchen and bathroom.
• People who live in the village would be paid to take care of it.
• Move in happens the second half of 2026.

Homeless shelter:

• The facility would not be owned and operated by the city.
• The facility would be built with money from “committed community partners,” a capital campaign and grants.
• Zoning changes might be needed when determining where to build it.
• Opens in 2027.

Homeless resource center:

• Dedicated “navigators” would help any homeless people who drop into the center.
• Homeless people would be “encouraged, incentivized and celebrated” as they try to stabilize their lives.
• The center would open in September 2024.

The city paid Sylver $76,000 for the recommendations.

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