Coalition for the Homeless

The Coalition for the Homeless’ programs succeed in addressing the root causes of homelessness and in making services to Louisville's homeless more cost-effective, efficient, and compassionate. Our member agencies provide housing, food, clothing, health care, counseling, and legal services to the homeless--from veterans living on the streets to families living out of their cars. The Coalition’s job is to evaluate the needs of the homeless and of our agencies, to identify and address gaps in services community-wide, and to implement smart, long-term solutions.

The Coalition launched the Rx: Housing initiative in 2012. This community-wide effort targeted housing resources to those most likely to die on the streets and lowered the number of chronically street homeless in Louisville by 50%. In 2013, we launched the award-winning Bed One-Stop program, a centralized way for homeless families and individuals to secure a bed at Louisville's emergency shelters.

In January 2015, the Coalition and several partners launched Rx: Housing Veterans. Since that time, our partners have found housing for over 630 formerly homeless veterans and have created housing plans for over 200 more. We are proud to report that Louisville has been identified by the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness as having reached “functional zero” for homeless veterans; this means that Louisville has provided each identified homeless veteran with access to transitional or permanent housing, and that we have the right processes and resources in place to ensure that each future homeless veteran receives access to housing or services within 30 days of them being identified. About 30 veterans in Louisville become homeless each month—one veteran a day on average. As such, the Coalition for the Homeless and our partners will continue to prioritize resources indefinitely to these newly homeless veterans to ensure that they have a place to call home.

The Coalition's current focus is on ending homelessness among Louisville's unaccompanied youth and young adults (age 16-24). Since launching this initiative alongside dozens of community partners in 2017, we have reduced young adult homelessness by more than 50%.