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2018 Homeless Edition

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Unfortunately, the shelters are full, and have been full since this summer. Right now, it is truly a<br />

challenge to find shelter and housing for families experiencing homelessness in Louisville. So<br />

how do we support our most vulnerable families and youth? We interviewed staff from<br />

Louisville Coalition for The <strong>Homeless</strong> to provide some insight into the problem set and answers<br />

to this question.<br />

Coalition for the <strong>Homeless</strong> has a multitude of supports and programs that are set out to prevent<br />

homelessness or support persons experiencing homelessness. Their prevention and diversion<br />

program specifically, will work to prevent families and individuals from becoming unsheltered.<br />

They have advocates that will work with community resources, mediate with family members,<br />

work with landlords, reach out to our schools and district, etc. They also have a housing<br />

Navigator that will assist families with locating affordable housing. The prevention and<br />

diversion program will<br />

also conduct<br />

assessments and verify<br />

homelessness. They<br />

will then use those<br />

assessments to<br />

determine programs<br />

best suited for the<br />

family or individual<br />

and connect them to a<br />

multitude of resources<br />

throughout the city.<br />

Coalition for the<br />

<strong>Homeless</strong> is also the<br />

single point of entry<br />

for all shelter spaces in<br />

the city. They manage<br />

the family wait list for shelters. As such they have an existing relationship with the shelters so<br />

that when a space does become available they are the first to know and have the opportunity to<br />

make referrals.<br />

One of the most important things for school and district staff to understand when explaining the<br />

shelter system to a family is that Coalition for the <strong>Homeless</strong> is the Single Point of Entry for all<br />

shelter space in the city. There is an existing wait list that is prioritized not by when you call, but<br />

by a needs assessment. Every family is different, and every situation is different. A multitude of<br />

factors will determine the families’ priority for shelter. Furthermore, the Coalition for the<br />

<strong>Homeless</strong> will scrub the list on a regular basis. Therefore, it is important for families to call on a<br />

regular basis. Our office recommends families call every two days or every time their shelter/<br />

housing situation changes. Since Coalition for the <strong>Homeless</strong> also has prevention programs<br />

families should also call when they first believe they may experience housing instability, such as<br />

receipt of an eviction notice.<br />

4

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