Wayside prepared to shelter the homeless on 'White Flag' nights

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A single mother from rural Kentucky with nowhere to go, Shelby and her three young children arrived at Wayside Christian Mission's low barrier shelter this week.

"I even slept in my truck for two days with my kids. This was my last option,” said Shelby, who preferred to go by her first name. "This my second day here, and the kids have already gotten clothes. They've been fed three hot meals. We've had a warm place to sleep, so, I mean, it's better than what it was."

Many shelters aren't equipped to handle families like Shelby's.

Wayside's low barrier shelter, funded by the city, specifically lowers the barriers for people like her who have a hard time finding places to stay. People with pets, families with children, couples and people who have been banned from other places are allowed inside.

“It's been full all summer, all fall. Every night it's full,” said Nina Moseley with Wayside Christian Mission. “And so I have no doubt that it will remain full every night. So then the question becomes where do we put white flag folks?"

In the past, Wayside used its gym to shelter people from the cold on white flag nights. But now that it's full of low barrier shelter beds, the mission has come up with a new plan.

"We have made accommodations for folks to come into our dining room overnight, men especially, and then women and families can come into the TV rooms, the lounge areas in our women and family shelters, so that we do try to get people in as much as possible,” Moseley said.

With less space on white flag nights than it used to have, the cold winter months could be challenging for Wayside, but the shelter said it's prepared. The low barrier shelter has 100 beds, and the other areas can accommodate about 80 people.

"We do want to accommodate folks that are staying out on the street," Moseley said. "We do not want to see anyone in our city freeze to death on the streets."

If you need shelter, you can call the Coalition for the Homeless at (502)-637-2337 between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to reserve a bed.