Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered

06/17/2026

This is now a daily necessity. No women’s shelter beds available before the beds hotline even OPENS!
We have to do better as a community. Those of us on the ground every day see the tidal wave coming. It is not enough to try and react anymore. We need to act!
More shelter, more housing, more compassion!
Let’s advocate to get upstream of this crisis instead of sound bites and empty promises. Call your council person and advocate for more funding, not cuts!

06/02/2026

🥵The needs have not diminished with the warmer weather. They have simply changed.🥵

Right now, we are especially in need of:

* Men’s and women’s shorts in all sizes, especially small, medium, and large

* Men’s and women’s sweatpants, especially medium through large

* T-shirts, especially medium through extra large

We are experiencing an extraordinary shortage of T-shirts right now, and these items go out quickly as we serve our unhoused neighbors through the summer months.

If it's easier to order from our Amazon Wishlist, here's the updated list: https://a.co/08LBt6Se

Donations can be dropped of to us on Sundays at Beargrass Christian Church between 1:30 and 3:30. We are on the east side of the building.

05/29/2026

Homelessness is not inevitable. It is the result of policy choices — and so are the solutions.

For years, advocates, outreach workers, service providers, and directly impacted community members have been clear about what Louisville needs: a fully funded housing continuum that includes prevention, outreach, emergency shelter, supportive services, and permanent affordable housing.

That’s why funding the campaign matters.

When people are forced to survive outside, the consequences are devastating — increased violence, worsening health conditions, family separation, criminalization, and preventable deaths. We cannot continue responding to homelessness only through emergency systems while underfunding the long-term solutions that actually work.

Don't believe the false narratives that are flooding our social media accounts these days. Housing is infrastructure. Shelter saves lives. Outreach matters. Permanent supportive housing works.

Next week is the FINAL week of Metro budget hearings, and this is our opportunity to demand meaningful investment in solutions instead of continued crisis management.

If we stay silent now, we lose this opportunity for the entire fiscal year.

Please take a moment to submit a public comment supporting full funding for the housing continuum and the Safe & Stable campaign:
https://louisvilleky.gov/government/2026-2027-louisville-metro-budget-comment-form

Every voice added to the public record matters.

05/28/2026

Today, a reporter reached out to ask whether we have seen or heard about increased violence toward the unhoused community.

Our response was simple: when advocates talk about “vulnerability,” this is exactly what we mean.

Vulnerability is not just exposure to the elements. It is the daily reality of micro and macro aggression and violence experienced by unhoused people. It is harassment by law enforcement. It is people having their personal property destroyed. It is assaults, robberies, and in the most extreme cases, murder.

While these incidents are not exclusively tied to Kentucky’s relatively recent criminalization of homelessness, policies that push people out of visible or safer spaces absolutely increase vulnerability. When people are forced into isolation, away from well-lit areas, away from community, and away from the relative safety of being surrounded by others who are also surviving on the street, the risks grow dramatically.

A safe place to exist matters.

People deserve somewhere they can sleep without fear of violence. Somewhere they can keep the few belongings they have without them being destroyed. Somewhere they are treated as human beings instead of problems to be removed from public view.

This is why advocates continue to speak out. Because criminalization does not solve homelessness — it makes surviving it even more dangerous.

05/23/2026

🥪Another year, a new sack lunch sign up!🥪

Our Sack Lunch Program is one of the easiest and most impactful ways individuals, families, churches, congregations, workplaces, and community groups can get involved with Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered.

Sign up here:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094DADAA22A1FF2-62788829-lou #/

Every Sunday, our outreach teams head into the community carrying meals, supplies, and compassion directly to our neighbors living unsheltered across Louisville. These lunches are often the first point of connection that helps build trust, consistency, and relationships.

Want a meaningful team-building activity for your organization, school, or congregation?

It's also a great way for your child to get ahead of their service hours for next year! No more last minute scrambling! 😏

Our Sack Lunch Program is a great opportunity to serve together while making a direct impact in the lives of others.

Lunches can include:
• PB&J sandwiches, tuna packets, or Vienna sausages
• Salty snacks (everyone loves chips!)
• Sweet snacks
• Soft fruits or any additional treats

Completed lunches are dropped off to us on Sundays between 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm at Beargrass Christian Church before outreach begins.

Support like this is what keeps our outreach moving every single week. Thank you to every volunteer, donor, congregation, and community partner helping us meet people where they are with dignity, compassion, and care. ❤️

To learn more or get involved:
🌐 www.lououtreach.org

05/21/2026

The solution to homelessness is housing.
Please take a moment to join us and other organizations in asking our Metro Council to push for the funding to help get us all upstream of this issue.

https://ujoin.co/campaigns/4439/actions/public?action_id=6814

Ending homelessness requires more than just a place to sleep—it requires a coordinated system of support.

The Safe & Stable coalition is pushing for a true investment in the housing continuum, from street outreach to permanent supportive housing. When we fund proven solutions, we save lives and strengthen our entire city.

Show your support for a comprehensive housing strategy. Fill out our action form today to join the push for a stable Louisville.

ADD YOUR VOICE: https://ujoin.co/campaigns/4439/actions/public?action_id=6814

05/18/2026

🥵 The heat is here and we need your help!
We updated our Amazon Wishlist.

https://a.co/08LBt6Se

05/14/2026

Honored and deeply humbled.

At the Coalition for the Homeless annual meeting, I was incredibly honored to receive the Outstanding Outreach Services Award on behalf of Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered.

But the truth is, this recognition belongs just as much to every volunteer who has walked beside us in the heat, the cold, and the rain. It belongs to every donor who believed in this mission enough to support it. It belongs to our fellow advocates, community partners, collaborators, Board of Directors, and every single person who has stood with us in the work of serving our unhoused neighbors with dignity and compassion.

No one person does this work alone.

I may have accepted this award, but it represents the combined effort, sacrifice, heart, and commitment of an entire community of people who refuse to look away from those experiencing homelessness.

I am grateful beyond words to be able to represent all of you, and I will continue doing everything I can to honor the trust and support you have placed in Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered.

Thank you to the Coalition for the Homeless for this recognition, and thank you to everyone who continues to stand with us as we work toward hope, stability, and human dignity for our neighbors.

Together, we make outreach possible.

Thank you for helping us to help others.

-David

05/12/2026

🗳️ Make your May 19th voting plan now! Several of our Community Centers will serve as polling locations this Election Day:

Beechmont Community Center
Berrytown Community Center
Cyril Allgeier Community Center
Mary T. Meagher Community Center
Portland Community Center
Shawnee Arts and Cultural Center
South Louisville Community Center
Sun Valley Community Center

Each center will remain open for regular programming throughout the day. If you have questions about classes or activities, call the individual center directly.

Find your polling location here:
https://ow.ly/gyF750YWHY4