WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Following a story in which FactFinder spotlighted an issue in the city concerning homeless encampments, a city council member steps forward to discuss a plan she has to fix the issue.
Wednesday, 12 News spoke with people in the community who are fed up with the encampments leaving parts of the city trashed. A count conducted last year showed 702 homeless people in Wichita. It’s not illegal to be homeless, but the issues that come with it are a growing concern for people with property around it, as well as the police.
The issue has the attention of city leaders, including Wichita City Council Member Maggie Ballard, representing the city’s sixth district which includes a pair of lots near Douglas and Seneca on which homeless encampments have raised concerns and frustrations.
“I have a deep passion for the homeless community, the un-housed, mental health in general. So this is really, really important to me,” Ballard said.
The issues aren’t isolated to Ballard’s district but the area northwest of Douglas and Seneca has become a recent problem.
“I don’t know why it’s such a popular spot, but it seems to be, and we’re hoping to permanently get it cleaned up in the near future,” Ballard said.
The plan, she said entails making use of undeveloped land.
“For a while now, we’ve been talking about utilizing this space right here from this back fence all the way to the river, and each section from street to street will be a little park,” Ballard said.
Wichita Police Department Officer Nate Schwiethale with the city’s Homeless Outreach Team (HOT) said outside of park property, police can’t just make a homeless person leave a public space.
“We want to make sure that we follow the rules and don’t violate someone’s civil rights, but we also want to make sure we keep our city clean and do the right thing,” he said.
A new park, Ballard said, could make a big difference in the effort to clean up the area. What’s planned is an extensive project for park development.
“It won’t be such an open space just to be a dumping ground or used for encampments,” Ballard said of the vacant city lots.
Bids for the proposed park development in the city’s sixth district are expected to go out in February, with construction starting in March. If all goes to plan, it will be completed by the fall.
You can see plans for the project, called “the Chisholm Trail Parkway” below:
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