In the past year since St. Vincent de Paul first opened the doors to 20 new low-income apartments for families, many different types of people have moved onto our campus here in one of Louisville’s poorest neighborhoods.
These furnished, 2- and 3-bedroom homes, known collectively as a supportive housing program, are designated for families who were homeless or who were on the verge of becoming homeless. These homes offer stability and security for struggling parents as they begin the challenging process of rebuilding their lives.
Megan, 26, is one of these new tenants. An only child raised by “wonderful” parents, she is a former honors student who attended Morehead State University on a full-ride scholarship.This young woman now seems both horrified and humbled by the unfathomable heroin addiction that brought her to our doorstep.
“I still have the needle marks in my arm,” she says, looking at the inside of her left elbow. “I didn’t wake up every day wanting to do this, but I just didn’t know how to stop. I felt I didn’t deserve to live because of the things I was doing.”