Ozanam Inn

Address

1034 S. Jackson Street

Facility

Ozanam Inn has three floors dedicated to housing those in need. The emergency shelter has 60 beds total including 50 beds within four dorms, and 10 private rooms for the most vulnerable emergency shelter clients on the second floor. There is a lounge area with TV viewing, case management offices, a computer room, showers, laundry facilities, a workout room, and a social pavilion. The basement level has 17 private rooms and common areas dedicated to Veterans, with an additional three Veteran’s rooms on the second floor. There is a shared restroom and free laundry facilities. 

Support

We provide case management, housing services, mental health and substance use services, and access to three meals per day at our Open Hand Kitchen and groceries from the Food Pantry. Clients meet with their case manager on a biweekly basis. Case managers help them in the following areas—housing, physical and mental health, drug and alcohol use, financial stability or debt reduction, legal issues, education, employment, parenting, daily life skills, and socialization or support networks. This can include transportation assistance to program participants to attend benefit appointments, employee training, or jobs. Their bed linens are washed each week. Clients also have a place they can store their belongings in a secure locker and an address to receive mail. There are life skills classes and sobriety meetings offered on campus. The computer room is available to assist in education, searching for employment, and job training. On campus, they also have access to three meals each day at the Open Hand Kitchen and can get groceries from the Food Pantry twice weekly.

In April 1984, Ozanam Inn opened after being remodeled in the former St. Paul School building, when it was gifted to us. In 1982, the Archdiocese of Louisville donated the St. Paul School building, St. Paul Catholic Church, and the rectory—all of which are adjacent buildings—to us. The buildings were originally called the St. Vincent DePaul Center and focused on providing food and shelter. This became the heart of our Shelby Park campus launch and future growth. Up to that point, we were primarily made up of groups of volunteers—called a conference—who were scattered throughout Louisville serving those in need.

Ozanam Inn was named after Frederic Ozanam, the founder of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul conferences. We had been housing 25 people at a shelter on First Street, but they were moved to Ozanam Inn after the remodel was complete. It opened roughly six months after the Open Hand Kitchen, which is located in the building next door to Ozanam Inn and provides easy access for shelter residents to receive three meals a day. During its first year of operation, it opened as a shelter for both men and woman. Since 1985, the shelter has housed only single men due to the congregate nature of the bathrooms and dormitories. The number of men it has sheltered has fluctuated over the years and it underwent major renovations in 1994, 2018-2019, and 2024-2025. Thanks to additional investment from Louisville Metro Government in 2025, we expanded our capacity by 20 beds each night, increasing from 40 to 60.
 

In 2022, we were awarded $191,600 in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and $250,000 from Louisville Metro Government’s Homeless Initiative to shift to 24/7 access. Thanks to a $2.4 million allocation from the Louisville’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), Ozanam Inn underwent major renovations from 2024-25 and features substantial facility upgrades designed to better serve individuals experiencing homelessness. In partnership with Louisville Metro Government, Miranda Construction, and SNDBX Design Collaborative, the yearlong project modernized the 24/7 shelter with electrical upgrades, expanded dorms and private rooms, updated bathrooms and showers, new windows, updated lighting, and an enhanced, accessible entryway with safer security check-in.


Our Veteran’s Transitional Housing Program started in July 2003 after receiving a $480,000 grant from the Veterans Affairs (VA) office in Washington, D.C. We used these funds to launch our transitional housing program that provides 20 beds for Veterans and wraparound case management services.