LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Two homeless outreach groups celebrated a huge milestone Friday afternoon; they turned two vacant, boarded-up buildings into a resource center and new headquarters.
"I don't even think I have words," Shreeta Waldon, executive director of the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, said. "I actually am just really overwhelmed with emotions. I'm overwhelmed because it's a real vision that has come true to be very intentional and be able to focus on community first."
Her organization and VOCAL-KY, lead by new District Three Councilwoman Shameka Parrish-Wright, opened up new spaces at 721 South Brook Street and 723 South Brook Street to be a resource center for people on the streets, leaving the hospital or having a mental health crisis.
VOCAL-KY's building at 725 S Brook Street will work as a day shelter of sorts, allowing people to come in from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and get food, hygiene supplies, water, and use the bathroom. Parrish-Wright spoke from experience about never being able to use a public restroom in downtown Louisville.
Their building will have two "harm reduction bathrooms" with a hospitality person/attendant. Each bathroom has a five minute timer on the door and the attendant will check on you if it goes off.
If someone needs a place to sleep when the building closes at 6 p.m., they will work with community services to find them help. VOCAL-KY will also do street outreach every day from the building.
At Kentucky Harm Reduction's building, they plan to do "harm reduction trainings", which includes first aid, Narcan and more. Waldon also said they will bring in nurse practitioners to do wound care.
"People have been forgotten," Waldon said. "So, to look at our space -- when our city has often been echoed saying, 'We don't have the space.' Well, our job is to go find the space we do have."
Over 100 people came to celebrate the opening, many of them volunteers who have used VOCAL-KY's services.
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"It feels amazing, because I recently learned of the facility," volunteer Markus Young said. "So, I had no knowledge that a place like this was in the near future to have an actual home."
Young added "it gives me hope and a compass."
Waldon said their building will officially open around Jan. 5. VOCAL-KY's building will open Jan. 2.
The buildings are just up Brook Street from the future Community Care Campus.
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