LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Simmons College of Kentucky is working to help the houseless community in Louisville make a comeback.
The historical Black university (HBCU) announced its "Open Doors Initiative" on Thursday, which is a program dedicated to addressing the houseless epidemic in the city and country.
Scholar and activist Terence Lester will lead the program.
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Lester referenced some of his own experiences with houselessness, and said opportunities like this program is the key to solving houselessness, not criminalization.
"Creating laws that target those that are unhoused will not solved the issue," he said. "Data shows, research shows, punishment is not the answer; opportunity is."
Kentucky lawmakers recently passed a law dubbed the "Safer Kentucky Act," which criminalizes street camping, effectively making living or sleeping on Louisville's streets illegal starting in mid-July.
Supporters say it will push unhoused people to seek shelter and treatment, but opponents worry it'll open a pathway to issuing fines and even jail time.
The Safer Kentucky Act's path forward could hinge on a major Supreme Court ruling this summer, deciding on the constitutionality of a city law in Oregon that bans street camping.
Simmons is the first HBCU to create a program around solving the houseless epidemic.
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