LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Metro Louisville has vowed to end young adult homelessness by 2020 and they need your help to make it happen.
There are 800 homeless young adults in Louisville over the course of a year. Those are 16 to 24-year-olds living on their own, staying wherever they can find shelter.
A new initiative out of the Coalition for the Homeless called “Host Homes” hopes to house young adults during their transitional period, giving them support to move forward.
HL Hussmann said, "the idea that we can invest in a person's life and give them the leg up that they need to actually do something for themselves is fantastic."
The Hussmann family is one of the first to sign up for Host Homes. They said they first saw the project shared on Facebook and decided to learn more.
"We had this spare room that we didn't know what to do with. It didn't fit with anybody so we were going to use it for storage or for a reading room so when we heard about the program it was a great fit for us”, Hussmann said.
The family shares their Jeffersontown home with multiple other roommates but decided one room would be reserved for a young adult in need.
"I love the idea of my kids experiencing an open home to someone who could use a place to stay. Growing up with the spirit of generosity and compassion to others is super important to me”, Hussmann said.
It’s an idea that is important to their family, but also important to the community.
Project manager Liza Smith put it into perspective.
"We have to remember that the individuals that are 18 to 24 right now are the individuals who are going to be holding this city up in 20, 30, 40 years”, Liza Smith said.
She's talking about recent grads, young people aged out of the foster care system, or someone between jobs.
The “host” is responsible for giving the young person a safe place to sleep and providing warm meals.
She said, "What we can do right now to help those individuals is going to help the future of our city."
Smith said Metro Louisville keeps an active name by name list of all young adults who are homeless in the city. Right now there are 100 names of people waiting for a host home.
"There's a waiting list a mile long of people who really need that program and are trying to make their way in life and so how incredible would it be if every time somebody calls Liza can say hey we'll sign you up, we'll make it happen”, Hussmann said.
Louisville was one of the first cities to adopt the Host Home initiative in 2018. Now it is one of nearly 30 cities that is aiming to end homelessness in young adults by providing a supportive space.
Hussmann said, "Loving each other is about as good as life gets and it’s hard to find practical ways to love people well and this is about as practical as it gets."
Both the hosts and young adults are thoroughly vetted including background checks, interviews and multiple meetings.
The stays could be as short as a week and as long as a few months.
If you are interested in learning more about Host Homes you can contact Liza Smith esmith@homeoftheinnocents.org or (502) 596-1328.
You can also attend an informational session:
Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
Louisville Youth Group
417 E Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky 40202
►Contact reporter Shay McAlister at smcalister@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Shay) and Facebook.