City leaders tell advocates to leave homeless outreach to professionals

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- On the coldest days of the year, you'll find Amanda Mills and Tiny Herron handing out items at homeless camps.

Longtime advocates for the homeless, Herron founded the nonprofit The Forgotten Louisville and Mills is a homeless outreach worker.

About once a week, they hand out long johns, coats, backpacks, hand warmers and more. And Herron's organization takes food directly to the camps.

"We easily serve 300," Herron said.

But surprisingly, the ladies don't want you to follow in their footsteps. And neither do city leaders.

"We must not solve the wrong problem," said District 4 Louisville Metro Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith (D). "So please refrain: Stop bringing and dropping off at street corners and the homeless camps."

After providing a 21-day notice, crews returned to a homeless camp at College and Brook Streets on Wednesday with a garbage truck, a bobcat and LMPD officers.

"This is an unbelievable, unhealthy, unsafe mess..." Smith said.

Smith said part of the blame should be directed at people who are trying to help.

"They want to come into wherever the known camps are and drop off supplies, drop off food, clothing mattresses and things that they think that the people who are living there would want to have," she said, adding that that's part of the overall problem.

Homeless Camp — After providing a 21-day notice, crews cleaned out a homeless camp at College and Brook Streets, Wednesday, Dec. 12. (WDRB Photo)

"But everything behind us is an example of what is left behind when those experiencing homelessness moved to another location. These are things they didn't want."

Smith wants people to support the homeless through existing organizations and leave the outreach to the professionals.

"As far as meals go, we prepare meals, but we also clean up after ourselves," Mills said.

Metro Council is expected to vote Thursday on an ordinance that would appropriate $546,719 in surplus funding from 2018 to be used for emergency, temporary sheltering and services for those experiencing homelessness.