On August 26, 2023, City of Lawrence (City) and Douglas County (County) leadership met with the Lawrence Community Shelter (LCS) Board of Directors to discuss how the City and County can assist LCS in fulling its mission of providing emergency sheltering, with access to supportive services, to support Lawrence and Douglas County community members recovering from homelessness. Since meeting, the parties worked to address the immediate need to achieve financial stability through increased City funding, oversight and accountability for the investment of those public funds, and stability of leadership through a restructuring of the Board of Directors.

The LCS Board of Directors adopted amended and restated bylaws on Monday, October 9. The newly amended bylaws enable the City Commission to appoint three directors and the County Commission to appoint two directors to the LCS Board of Directors. Additionally, two current directors will continue serving on the Board of Directors. The proposed joint City/County resolution establishes the grounds for the City and County commissions to appoint directors to the LCS Board of Directors, as described above.

The Lawrence Community Shelter Board of Directors members are:

• Charlie Bryan, Independent Director, 3-year term
• Christina Gentry, County Director, 3-year term
• Chuck Magerl, City Director, 2-year term
• Elizabeth Keever, City Director, 1-year term
• John Krehbiel, County Director, 2-year term
• Rebekah Gaston, Independent Director, 2-year term
• Shannon Oury, City Director, 3-year term

Contacts:
Cori Wallace, Director of Communications & Community Relations
City of Lawrence
785-764-8779
Cwallace@lawrenceks.org

Karrey Britt, Communications Specialist
Douglas County
785-330-2894
kbritt@douglascountyks.org

Charlie Bryan
President, Board of Directors
Lawrence Community Shelter
785-251-0686
charlieb@lawrenceshelter.org