Wichita’s Second Light shelter is cutting beds from 170 to 130. Here’s what to know

Second Light, Wichita’s homeless shelter, is reducing its bed count from 170 to 130 as it enters its second year and reshapes how it serves the city’s homeless population. The change comes as the shelter faces a looming funding gap, with its American Rescue Plan Act dollars set to run out this fall.

FULL STORY: Second Light is reducing its number of beds for homeless Wichitans. Here’s why.

Here are key takeaways:

• Of the 130 remaining beds, 100 are reserved for the Shelter+Services program, which pairs a bed with services to help people transition into housing. The other 30 are night-by-night beds, including six held for law enforcement drop-offs.

• The shelter estimates it needs about $4 million a year to operate. Wichita voters recently rejected a 1% sales tax proposal that would have helped fund it.

• Exit polling by Wichita Documenters showed voters still support funding the city’s homeless shelter, even though they opposed the broader sales tax measure.

• Providers have moved into the shelter to offer services including help with identification, substance use treatment, mental health care, housing support and recovery meetings five nights a week.

• City Council members discussed potential city funding last week, but decisions won’t come until later this year during the budget process. Second Light also plans to hire its first development director to pursue additional funding.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.