Storage lockers offered to help homeless keep belongings safe

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As part of a broader effort to curb homelessness in Louisville, a new storage facility for homeless people to store belongings was unveiled on Monday.

The facility, operated by the St. John Center for Homeless Men, is providing lockers and storage options for the homeless in an effort to allow those people to move more freely without worry of possession being stolen.

"It gives them the hope that they won't have to replace (their possessions) if they walk away or say they want to go to lunch," said Glinda Adkins with the St. John Center. "They can't leave their belongings, because someone will take it, steal it and sell it."

The hope for homeless advocates is that a storage location will allow for homeless people to increase their ability to make doctor's appointments or job interviews more easily.

Each of the 160 lockers is equipped with an individual lock. The lockers themselves are housed in large shipping containers and wedged between Wayside Christian Mission and Doskar Manor apartments. The containers are locked behind several fences.

"We had one gentleman that came and put his stuff in on Tuesday, and on Wednesday, he came back, because he just wanted to know that his stuff was still here," Adkins said. "That breaks my heart."

The project was jump-started last December when Metro Council allocated more than $45,000 to the plan as part of a larger effort to provide more resources to the homeless. However, there was some worry about the future of the project because of anticipated budget cuts for metro government.

"To keep this going it is going to take salary," Adkins said. "Probably, at some point, we're going to need to get a security person. If this ends in June, not only will I not have a job, but I'll still have people on the street that need my help."

Last week, Louisville Metro Council voted against a plan to cover increased pension obligation costs by raising the insurance tax premium. As a result, Mayor Greg Fischer warned of drastic budget cuts to fill the gap, but it's not yet clear what programs or departments would be cut. Final decisions would not be made until June.

According to the St. John Center, 38 lockers were already being used as of Monday. Officials said they expect for all lockers to be in use by the end of April.