LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Volunteers of America Mid-States shared its newly finalized plans with the public Thursday afternoon for the $40 million Community Care Campus in the Smoketown neighborhood. The campus has been heralded as one of Mayor Greenberg's main responses to homelessness in Louisville.
"Soon, this community will get what it deserves. A beautiful, professionally-operated set of programs that is accessible to them," Jennifer Hancock, CEO of VOA Mid-States, said.
The project has roughly $24 million in funding right now; $2 million from Louisville's FY 2024 budget, and $22 million from the Kentucky State Legislature. Hancock says they are doing a $15 million fundraising campaign for the rest.
VOA recently finished its masterplan for the project and it includes four main types of housing: an emergency family shelter, transitional housing for youth age 18-24, medical respite for people leaving the hospital, and 80 units of affordable housing for people making 30% or lower of area median income.
During Thursday's public meeting, one critique was there is nothing for single men in their 50s or veterans.
"I've been homeless for five years...I'm at the bottom (of waitlists for housing)," Maurice Noe said, who's also a volunteer with VOCAL-KY.
"That's just --right now-- that's not what VOA is doing...If I had a magic wand I would help, I promise. I wish I could," Tamara Rief said, senior director of housing services for VOA.
There were several moms and families in attendance Thursday, one of them Marlicia Girten, who was referred by the new Goodwill West Louisville Opportunity Center.
"I might possibly be living here, I do have five children. Um, so, it would definitely be something I'll be looking into. And it's a safe place," Girten said.
She asked if she could sign up or apply for any affordable housing and was told "not yet". However, she says she is very excited about the project and knows the long wait means it will be a great place to be.
"It is kind of like a time stretch, but the longer it takes, the better the opportunity will be in the end," Girten said.
VOA is not planning to fully open the campus until 2026. Rief estimated when the center is fully up and running, 250 people will be staying there at a time. The most recent deadline the city and VOA have given themselves is to open one building on the Care Campus by the end of this year.
"If we could go faster, we would go faster. So much of that is dependent upon the phasing of this campus, making sure we get Unity House open and operational, and then get started working on the other pieces and parts," Hancock said.
Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.
Have a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.