LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- One of Louisville's most pressing crises is homelessness, especially when the months turn cold.

The red doors at Christ Church Cathedral on Second Street are iconic. The historic church was founded in 1822. Now, it's trying something new.

It's now joining other communities in the commonwealth: Lexington, Bowling Green, and Nelson County, in launching a pilot program called Room in the Inn.

"Both physically and as part of our mission, it was a natural fit for us," said Dean Matthew Bradley of Christ Church Cathedral.

Bradley said the conversation started in the summer of 2023.

Their neighbor, UP for Women and Children, helped them start on the right foot, envisioning Room in the Inn.

"A lot of times when people see the evidence of the housing crisis that we're having in Louisville. There's a huge pull on the heartstrings, because people want to do something to help, but they don't know how they can," Bradley said.

Bradley's congregation is going to keep its doors open overnight, starting Jan. 6 through the end of February, for 15 unhoused women and children.

"Which does not seem like a huge amount, but if you sort of do the math and expand it over the course of a couple months, it's almost 800 beds of expanded capacity," Bradley said.

A report from The Coalition for the Homeless shows people experience homelessness for about 13 days at a time; and about 4,400 people experienced homelessness in Louisville for the first time last year, nearly 500 more than the year before.

"Because I go down to the cathedral as often as I do, I see the homeless people, if you are around downtown Louisville in particular, and something needs to happen," said Lee Cochran, a volunteer.

Right now, Room in the Inn only requires six people daily to staff it.

"It's not large, very manageable size," Cochran said.

Cochran plans on being one of the regular volunteers.

"Sometimes you can send money, sometimes you can tell somebody about something, but where you can actually participate in making the life of somebody else a little bit better. I don't think there's a greater gift," Cochran said.

The pilot program will start with two months. Room in the Inn programs started about 39 years ago in Nashville.

"Father Charles Strobel saw some folks who would park their car in the parking lot of his church, and he invited them in to stay the night. And that kicked off what has become a network of congregations," Bradley said.

Bradley said now there are more than 200 participating congregations in Tennessee and 36 communities nationwide.

"It's a remarkable story and remarkable program," Cochran said.

The goal is to expand it in the coming years.

"The reality is, there are other populations of folk that would be well served by Room the Inn, such as single men, two parent families, single dads with kids, veterans and the elderly, but there we would need additional sites in order to accommodate the needs of different populations," Bradley said.

Up for Women and Children will start registration come Jan. 1. Their phone number is (502) 384-0001.

For anyone interested in volunteering, email Christ Church Cathedral at roomintheinnlouisville@gmail.com or call the church at (502) 587-1354.

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