Print edition: 
United Methodist Open Door has signed a contract to buy the former state unemployment office at Second and Topeka to house its resource and referral center for the homeless.
The cost of the building is $1.26 million.
United Methodist Open Door has raised $2 million of a needed $5.4 million for the project. It needs to raise $3 million for renovations, said Deann Smith, executive director.
The 36,000-square-foot building needs a new boiler system, energy-efficient windows, plumbing and other renovations to meet medical-privacy requirements, she said.
The center will accommodate 150 people. It will provide basic services for homeless people and serve as a central location for agencies that work with the homeless.
The renovation fundraising campaign will last until Aug. 1, Smith said. The goal is to be in the building by the end of the year.
Establishing the center has been one of the goals of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Task Force to End Chronic Homelessness.
