St. Vincent de Paul | Louisville

Every night about 200 men, women and children have a clean, safe place to sleep through Vincent de Paul's shelters and housing programs. Each day, more than 200 hungry people are served free, hot meals at our community Open Hand Kitchen. St. Vincent de Paul has been providing food, shelter, hope and encouragement to those in need throughout Louisville, Central Kentucky and Southern Indiana since 1853. In the spirit of caring and respect, services are provided without regard to race, religion or national origin.

Open Hand Kitchen

St. Vincent de Paul's Open Hand Kitchen opened in October 1983 in the St. Paul Church at 1026 South Jackson St. The Open Hand Kitchen relies heavily on dedicated groups of volunteers, who serve two meals a day - at lunch and dinner - to anyone in need, no questions asked. Last year, the Open Hand Kitchen served more than 78,000 meals.

DePaul Apartments

DePaul Apartments provide long-term housing for 12 single women with children. With guidance from a staff case manager, these resident families work to address specific goals and objectives designed to help them become self-sufficient. Many mothers work toward a living wage job by earning a GED or higher education degree. Almost all of the mothers are employed full-time, in addition to going to school, working a substance abuse recovery program and raising their children. All families that successfully move from DePaul Apartments enter our Follow-Up Program, which is designed to assist them as they move to independent living.

Ozanam Inn

Ozanam Inn is a men's homeless shelter. Forty-two beds are assigned daily to homeless men each night. In addition, Ozanam Inn has a Dorm Residency program consisting of 16 beds that are set aside for homeless men who employed or who are searching for work. The Transitional Residency program includes 31 small, private rooms reserved for men with a steady income from employment or disability. Residents stay an average of nine months while they work closely with our case management staff to secure the skills and support needed to gain independence.

Roberts Hall

Roberts Hall is a 24-room, long-term program that serves single women 21 years of age or older. Residents must be drug/alcohol free and work toward self-improvement and independence. Case management is required and available on site for each resident. Each resident has a private room and shares common areas including, two lounges, computer area, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms and laundry facilities. Residents are responsible for shopping and preparing their own meals, doing their own laundry, keeping their private rooms clean and doing assigned chores around the building. Roberts Hall residents are encouraged to work, volunteer, or go to school at least 20 hours a week, in order to become truly independent.

Tranquil House Apartments

Tranquil House is a permanent supportive housing complex that serves 13 mentally ill adults. Most of the residents receive case management services through the local community mental health center or the Veterans Administration. St. Vincent de Paul provides crisis intervention when necessary.

Simon Hall

Simon Hall is a permanent housing facility for 10 men who were chronically homeless. Residents are required to sign a one-year lease and accept ongoing case management. Each resident is assigned household chores, encouraged to participate in community activities and attend recovery meetings, if necessary.

St Jude Women's Recovery Center

A state-licensed alcohol and drug abuse treatment program for homeless women, St. Jude Women's Recovery Center has been serving Louisville since 1985. In its present facility since 1998, the center has beds for  30 residents whose average length of stay is about nine months. Case management services are provided to help residents set goals and work toward self-sufficiency. In addition to daily chores, the women work in teams to cook dinner for each other four nights a week on an alternating schedule. In addition, women are required to work at least 32 hours a week and pay 30% of their income to program fees. Those who receive disability income are required to do 20 hours of volunteer work a week.

Follow Up Program

The Follow Up Program is funded by several HUD grants that began in 1993. The program is offered to individuals who successfully complete a St. Vincent de Paul shelter program and are seeking housing in Jefferson County. The goals of Follow Up are to provide start-up financial assistance (if needed) and ongoing case management to prevent a return to homelessness.

Homes with Hope