'Big announcement' expected next week about progress at new Louisville campus aimed for people in need

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The city of Louisville is expected to make an announcement soon about the Community Care Campus, an initiative aimed at providing services and shelter for people in need.

"I'm very excited," Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Tuesday. "We're going to have a big announcement about progress we're making on the Community Care Campus next week, and so I'm very excited about that."

The Community Care Campus was first announced more than a year ago. The first phase of construction is expect to create a family emergency shelter. The campus will also offer medical services with partners at UofL Health and Norton Healthcare.

Volunteers of America will help run the campus, which is in Old Louisville. The buildings it includes are the Vu Hotel and Guesthouse, the C2 event space and a few other locations.

In 2022, nearly 11,000 people were homeless at some point in Jefferson County, according to the Coalition for the Homeless. A report from the Coalition for the Homeless found homelessness in Louisville increased by more than 40% from 2018-21. And a majority of that homeless population is clustered around downtown Louisville, which was why the campus' location at South Floyd and East Breckinridge streets was chosen.

Greenberg said earlier this week that the Community Care Campus could be a place to spend the night, a long-term housing solution while looking for something permanent, or just a resource for someone struggling with addiction or mental health issues.

"We need lots of different services and shelter for individuals in need, because everyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless has their own unique story, has their own unique challenges that has led them to this point," Greenberg said. "And so we need many different types of shelter options. We need many different types of services. And so they will co-exist."

The campus will be created near the current Hope Village, which provides outdoor shelter to help get people off the streets and connected with resources. Greenberg said the Community Care Campus will not replace Hope Village.

Greenberg would not share an opening date for the Community Care Campus but said more information on the schedule will be announced next week.

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