Louisville Participates in Project Homeless Connect

Left to right: HUD Louisville Field Office Director Krista Mills, Marlene Gordon of the Coalition of the Homeless, Dona O'Sullivan of the Louisville Metro Division of Family Services, Lisa Hamilton of the Louisville Metro Department of Housing and Community Development, and HUD Regional Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Liaison Teresa Chappell.

Cities from across the country participated in Project Homeless Connect during the week of December 4-8. It is a program sponsored by the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and coordinated by the National League of Cities. Project Homeless Connect is a one-stop resource center comprised of agencies who provide services to homeless individuals and families. Louisville hosted a day-long center on Thursday, December 7, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Lousville Gardens. HUD Regional Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Liaison Teresa Chappell and HUD Louisville Field Office Director Krista Mills toured the center with Dona O'Sullivan of the Louisville Metro Division of Family Services who coordinated the event on behalf of the city.

"This initiative is modeled after the Family Assistance Center we set up last summer at the Gardens after Hurricane Katrina," Mayor Jerry Abramson said in a press release. "We had tremendous success connecting displaced residents from the Gulf Coast with services that could help them rebuild their lives."

Homeless service providers were available to put individuals and families in touch with programs and services that will lead them toward housing and self-sufficiency. Services provided included:

• Information and referrals for housing services
• Information and referrals for employment services
• Health services (flu shots, visions screenings, etc.)
• Legal assistance
• Veteran's and disability benefits
• Mental-health programs
• Personal identification assistance
• Screening and application for benefits, such as food stamps
• Toiletry kits