LOUISVILLE, KY — October 15, 2020
St. Vincent de Paul Louisville has been awarded $838,408 for a new Transitional Housing/Rapid Rehousing project that will provide housing and services to those who are experiencing homelessness because they are fleeing a dangerous situation related to intimate partner violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, or human trafficking. Funding for this program comes from the 2019 HUD Continuum of Care competition and with a 25% matching contribution requirement, the total annual value is $1,048,010.
St. Vincent de Paul Louisville operates a wide array of permanent housing, transitional housing, and shelters for those who are experiencing homelessness in Louisville. We provide over 250 housing units with strengths-based case management, and additional resources such as food, furniture, and clothing. Annually, we receive over $2.5 million from HUD, with additional programs supported by the VA, Louisville Metro Government, and private donations.
For this project, we are partnering with Catholic Charities of Louisville. They provide a wide range of supportive services, with strong competencies in working with survivors of sexual violence and sex trafficking, working with refugees, providing family services and mother/infant care, and serving low-income members of the community. They are a survivor services provider and are bringing expertise in cultural competency, trauma-informed care, and language fluency to this project.
The Transitional Housing/Rapid Re-housing model gives survivors the flexibility to choose the type of housing assistance they need. It provides both a secure, site-based transitional housing facility and housing vouchers for scattered-site rental units in the community, and survivors can opt for one or both choices. The purpose of transitional housing is to immediately give survivors a safe, secure place to live temporarily while they search for appropriate permanent housing that will meet their long-term needs.
Within both housing options, survivors will receive case management and supportive services to help them stabilize in housing, increase their self-sufficiency, and heal from their traumatic experiences. We will collaborate with Catholic Charities of Louisville to provide case management and supportive services.
The project has the capacity to serve 125 people in 59 households and significantly expands the number of beds immediately available to survivors fleeing domestic violence in Louisville, where current victim services providers report that existing shelters operate at full capacity every night.
All referrals will come from the Louisville Continuum of Care’s Common Assessment Team, and households of any composition can be served, regardless of the gender of the head of household, and regardless of whether the head of household is single or accompanied by children. We are committed to the Housing First approach, meaning that referrals will not be screened out due to challenges such as history of substance use, lack of income, criminal history, or other prerequisites not found in a typical lease.
St. Vincent de Paul Louisville partners with individuals and families in crisis and helps them navigate a path to stabilize their lives and reach their full potential. We are accredited by the Council on Accreditation, in recognition of the professional, trauma-informed services we provide. More information is available at svdplou.org.
Catholic Charities of Louisville is the social services arm of the Archdiocese of Louisville and a member of Catholic Charities USA. Founded in 1939, Catholic Charities provides services to people in need, advocates for justice in social structures, and calls the entire church and others of good will to do the same.
For more information, contact David Sharpe, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, at (502) 301-8670, or mobile (502) 387-0328; dsharpe@svdplou.org.
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