LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Getting in his van and meeting people where they are on Louisville's streets is nothing new for Jeff Gill, founder of a homeless outreach organization called Hip Hop Cares. Gill said what began as a weekly community event in 2016 has turned into daily service that helps provide food and get people on the streets connected to resources in the city.

Part of his mission is finding affordable housing for the people who need it, a focal point of Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg's $1.1 billion budget proposal announced Thursday. 

The budget includes nearly $32 million to create more safe, affordable and quality housing. The goal, Greenberg said, is to create or preserve 15,000 units of affordable housing across the city by 2027. Greenberg first announced the "My Louisville Home" plan in October 2023.

"Affordable housing helps our people thrive, and it also benefits our economy and the health of our community," he said. "From creating more quality homes to finding ways to end homelessness, we are taking a holistic approach to finding real solutions to our biggest challenges."

Gill said he'd like to see more immediate solutions before 2027 for providing smaller shelter spaces.

"We don't have to think an old-school building where we've got to put 300 people in it," Gill said. "We can put 20-50 people in a small space and we have vacant buildings all over this city."

Gill said new resources in the past few years such as The Hope Village and Arthur Street Hotel have helped get several people into shelter. However, he said there are still many others struggling on the streets.

"I think it's important thing to talk about," Gill said. "I'll be impressed once the follow-through is done."

According to Greenberg, the city's Homeless Services Division will work with community partners on a plan to support young adults living on the streets of Louisville. One of the ways they'll help is through programs that include hotel stays for 18 to 24-year-olds transitioning to stable housing and case management and support services to individuals and families affected.

"This budget will fill an immediate gap by providing emergency hotel stays for that age group who need our help right now," Greenberg said.

That's step one, Greenberg said, in the fight to overcome youth homelessness for good.

"The focus on catching the youth very early on in that cycle is very important," Gill said Friday. "I just hope that same attention is paid to all ages."

"Over the next year, we'll plan to finalize the details on a youth shelter and dedicated youth transitional housing, which will lead to long-term stability and the opportunity for successful future for all of our young people," he said.

The mayor is also seeing through a goal to establish a shelter facility for individuals and families, and the creation of 20 transitional housing options through the use of efficiency units or OVC huts.

Greenberg said while the the Louisville Metro Housing Authority is not a city department, it must be accountable to the people of Louisville just like himself and Metro Council. He also committed his support to LMHA to help address the most urgent issues Dosker Manor and Avenue Plaza residents face through $238,000 in funding. 

Gill said he serves meals to many residents at Dosker Manor on Sundays and hears their concerns.

When the new LMHA director, Elizabeth Strojan, was appointed to her position in November, she toured the Dosker Manor campus to see the issues up close and asked for patience so they could make improvements. A Louisville Metro Council committee voted in February to order an investigation into LMHA. Some councilmembers at the time said Dosker Manor made LMHA look like a slumlord.

"They deserve to live in a place that's safe and clean," Greenberg said. "Instead, right now, some of our most vulnerable Louisvillians live (and) sleep in dangerous environments, in decaying buildings where they have to deal with mold and bugs and rodents. That is absolutely unacceptable."

Greenberg also said his administration will work with LMHA for additional Section 8 vouchers.

Also recognized in Thursday's budget address was the continued progress on Louisville’s Community Care Campus, a facility that will house more than 30 families affected by homelessness and provide medical services and more.

The project received extra support from the Kentucky General Assembly, further pushing forward the project which will help end family street homelessness in Louisville. Greenberg said the Masterplan for the Community Care Campus is expected to be finalized this month.

Metro Council will now review the mayor's budget and see it through a review process that includes hearings and a budget vote prior to July 1.

Related Stories:

Copyright 2024 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.