After over three decades of operating a single-room occupancy program (SRO) for women at Roberts Hall, St. Vincent de Paul Louisville will end the program in March 2024, to redirect community resources to other affordable housing options.
Due to the unique challenges of operating SRO permanent housing projects, SVDP is shifting away from these programs. The SRO model has individual rooms with shared kitchens and bathrooms, which make it similar to college dorms. Shifting from this model will let us better use our resources to rally around our mission of housing, feeding, and supporting those in need with compassion and dignity.
Jennifer Clark, SVDP’s Chief Operating Officer, said she’s grateful for this program’s partnership with the Archdiocese of Louisville, specifically the parish of St. Elizabeth of Hungary and Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA). “We are appreciative of the partnerships we’ve had over the years. We have helped
thousands of women find stability and self-sufficiency through housing assistance and effective case management,” Clark said.
Roberts Hall residents have been notified of this transition, and SVDP staff members are working diligently to provide each and every client with the support that they need by gathering housing options and resources to assist them with a positive exit destination. LMHA will make Housing Choice Vouchers available for current residents to find new housing options. Roberts Hall is an off campus program at 1032 E. Burnett Ave.
Roberts Hall History
Before the three-story brick building was converted to house homeless women, it was the former St. Elizabeth Convent. The building was vacant for six years after the archdiocese moved the last of four sisters at St. Elizabeth to another location in 1984. After the parish council voted in favor of SVDP’s project proposal and SVDP was awarded a $660,000 federal grant, the building was renovated and Roberts Hall officially opened in November 1990. It was named after Gerald “Jerry” Roberts, a former SVDP president for 21 years who planted deep roots in the Louisville community.
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