Louisville hits a few snags in opening emergency homeless services

Louisville officials gathered at the start of 2019 to trumpet Metro Council's decision to spend $500,000 on services to help the homeless. But nearly a month later, some of those services haven't turned out as planned.

An overnight shelter expected to house six families will instead be a day shelter for people with children.

A storage facility meant to offer people a safe place off the streets to keep personal items has yet to open.

And a new low-barrier shelter is already very crowded, advocates say.

Frigid temperatures this week in Louisville thrust the homeless population into the spotlight once more.

Eric Friedlander, who oversees the city's response to the issue, acknowledged there is work to be done to accomplish the goals put forward by his office earlier this month, but said the city is in a much better position this year to respond and provide shelter options.

Friedlander attributed the delays or changes to some projects to a "learning process" that the city and its partners have gone through as they worked to implement the new offerings.

And, he said, he's been heartened by the response to the low-barrier shelter that's already open at Wayside Mission, which is serving more than 100 people a night, surpassing expectations.

"It's been really good to know that it's being used. This was something we really needed," Friedlander said.

The half-million-dollar allocation, described as a "bridge" to a more permanent solution, was aimed at the homeless crisis after an outcry from advocates and some Metro Council members who were frustrated with the pace of the city's progress on the issue, particularly as temperatures dropped.

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Supporters said they hoped to provide more "low-barrier" shelter space, which refers to facilities that can accept a wider swath of people. A low-barrier shelter might, for example, be open 24/7; accept people who want to bring in pets, partners and possessions; allow those who are intoxicated or using drugs to enter; or let in people with a mental illness or medical condition.

A funding plan presented in early January outlined more than 140 new shelter beds at four locations through mid-summer, including 100 low-barrier spaces at Wayside.

Mayor Greg Fischer said at the time that the money was "not a cure," and wouldn't solve homelessness, but would hopefully "affect a couple hundred people in a very positive way while we continue to work on this situation."

The city is expected to craft a more permanent plan to address homelessness and present it by the end of April. In the meantime, city officials and partners are continuing to work toward opening the delayed projects, like the storage facility that St. John Center for Homeless Men will operate.

"You know that saying, 'the devil's in the details'? That's just the way it is," said St. John executive director Maria Price. "We are working hard to keep our eyes on the prize and manage all the details."

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Price said her organization has worked with a number of partners to get the necessary city permits and meet code for the storage facility, which will be at the parking lot of 431 East Liberty St.

A tentative opening is slated for mid-February, Price said.

"For them to know that these important items are in a safe place, a secure place ... I think it will offer just one burden off of someone's shoulders so that they can feel a little lightened up, a little more energy, clarity, feel more comfortable accessing overnight shelter, if they didn't before," she said.

Wayside, one such overnight shelter, began a low-barrier operation in its gym. Unlike many other shelters in the city, it allows people with pets or partners to come in together, chief operating officer Nina Moseley said, which has proved more popular than staff expected.

The low-barrier shelter has been serving 124 people a night, and even more on Operation White Flag nights that dip below 35 degrees.

"It's an experiment that has worked pretty well," Moseley said.

The space does get crowded, though, and that can be a drawback for someone considering going in for the night, said Wendy Manganaro, a homeless advocate with the Fed With Faith street outreach group.

"The idea is working, but it's not perfect," Manganaro said, adding that she's had a veteran with PTSD tell her he would like to go inside, but it's too crowded a space. Several advocates had pushed for several smaller low-barrier shelter options throughout the city, to allow for a less crowded population.

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St. Stephen, meanwhile, which was expected to operate an overnight shelter, ran into issues with meeting standards for such an operation, Friedlander said. And while they still hope to open as planned in the future, they're focusing on opening a day shelter for people with children for now.

An email sent to Patricia Mathison, who is overseeing that project, was not immediately returned.

Natalie Harris, with the Coalition for the Homeless, said this week she hopes the city will keep the need to help homeless families in its sights.

"Just as the community has focused on the visible street homeless and making sure there's a low-barrier shelter, which we support, there continues to be a huge need for homeless families," she said. "... If we are able to keep a low-barrier shelter, can we revamp something else to serve families?"

Friedlander and Harris are expected to appear before a Metro Council budget committee Thursday afternoon to address the surplus funds for homeless services.

Darcy Costello: 502-582-4834; dcostello@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @dctello. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: www.courier-journal.com/darcyc.