Kansas

Kansas Legislative session ends with no state funding for permanent homeless shelter in Wichita

Published

2 years ago

May 2, 2024

Kansas Legislative session ends with no state funding for permanent homeless shelter in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The 2024 Kansas Legislative session is over and Wichita is left without state funding for a permanent homeless shelter in Wichita. On Thursday, 12 News looked into where the city stands on plans for the shelter and where the money could come from.

It’s been a bit of a setback for the City of Wichita, but Mayor Lily Wu says the city remains committed to fixing its homelessness problem. Wu said the city also has to be responsible for how it spends taxpayer dollars.

“Our community is facing a budget deficit in the upcoming years,” Wu said.

But homelessness is a top priority.

“I have heard from the community that homelessness is an issue that they want us to tackle,” Wu said.

The city is working hard to figure out ways to fund a permanent shelter, the mayor said.

“We are still working hard, trying to bring more community partners together so that we can have a community-wide solution that is not just from the City of Wichita, but really community-led,” she said.

United Methodist Open Door, a local group that works closely with the homeless population, points to the need for a permanent shelter. Executive Director Deann Smith touched on the importance of having a permanent shelter, pointing out that extreme weather can lead to severe illness and even death.

But since the legislature adjourned with no shelter money for Wichita, a timeline for the shelter is unclear.

“We’re working with our partner, Sedgwick County, as well as nonprofit organizations, as well as faith-based organizations in our community,” Wu said. “We have to do this together and it will require more collaboration.”

To get an idea of how the homeless situation looks in Wichita, the 2023 Wichita-Sedgwick County point-in-time count revealed a little more than 700 homeless individuals. But more than 3,300 people were identified as being a part of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Homeless Crisis Response System between October 2022 and September 2023.

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Kansas

Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

Published

41 minutes ago

March 5, 2026

Press Room

Former Kansas high school wrestling coach charged with producing child pornography

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A former Kansas wrestling coach was charged with creating child sexual abuse materials by secretly recording minors showering during an athletic competition.

According to court documents, 37-year-old Ryan Brungardt of Salina is charged with two counts of production of child pornography and one count of attempted production of child pornography.

Brungardt is a former employee at Lakewood Middle School and former wrestling coach for Salina Central High School.

Brungardt is accused of using a cellphone to record three minors while they showered in a locker room during the Tournament of Champions, a wrestling tournament was held at Newton High in January 2024.

Brungardt made his initial court appearance for the criminal complaint on Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Brooks G. Severson.

A detention hearing is scheduled for Monday

Investigators are in the process of reviewing additional seized cellphone videos in this case that are suspected to have been recorded at wrestling meets in Newton, Hays, Garden City and Salina during the 2023-2024 wrestling season.

Anyone who believes they witnessed crimes or any suspicious activity at these events is asked to contact the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (785) 600-8790 or report at www.kbi.ks.gov/sar.

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