WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE) - The City of Wichita has announced that a recently closed elementary school will become a multi-agency center for the city's unhoused population.

In Thursday morning's mayor's briefing, Vice Mayor Maggie Ballard alongside Mayor Lily Wu announced that the city is working with Wichita Public Schools to purchase the former Park Elementary located at 1025 N Main and turn it into a multi-agency center (MAC) to provide necessary resources for unhoused people in the area.

The news comes three months after the Wichita School Board voted in favor of closing six schools, including Park, due to budget cuts. 

The city council will vote on the purchase of the property at its next meeting on Tuesday. The proposed purchase price is $1, according to the meeting agenda. 

Ballard said that the center will be ready for emergency use for the 2024-2025 winter season and will open for full, 24/7 operations in 2026. 

The city says the MAC will be available for anyone to walk in and be provided with coordinated services to connect them to resources for their specific needs. 

"We know that change can be difficult and we want to honor, listen and respond to neighborhood concerns as this change," Ballard said.


Ballard says she is door knocking in the neighborhood and attempting to gather more concerns from residents regarding the shelter.

An open house for the MAC will be held on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Advanced Learning Library downtown where residents will be provided with more information on the shelter. 

The city provided the link wichita.gov/mac to find more information on the MAC.