With a new grant, the Clark County Homeless Coalition can serve more families and individuals experiencing homelessness.

Terry Davidson, executive director of the Homeless Coalition, said in the coming months, the coalition will open three apartments for families that will serve as long-term transitional housing.

The coalition recently received a funding notice for a joint transitional housing and rapid rehousing program, which the Kentucky Housing Corporation provided.

“It will allow us to rent three apartments, specifically dedicated to families,” Davidson said. “We will serve significantly more families than we have in the past.”

Participating families will receive the same services like those at Wainscott Hall as the coalition assists in moving them on to permanent housing.

“They will participate in case management, classes and everything we are doing right now,” Davidson said. “They will have access to recovery support, rapid rehousing, our on-site GED classes, the counseling, everything we are already doing.”

Davidson said she expects the coalition will serve an additional 35 people each year with the other units. The homeless coalition helps about 225 individuals every year through its services; about 78 of those individuals go through the Wainscott Hall program.

In addition to the expansion, the coalition will provide homeless services and Rapid Rehousing in the entire Bluegrass region. Davidson said the goal is to reduce the length of time a person is homeless and increase the long-term success rate, which means a person or family from a neighboring county can find housing in their home county and still receive the services needed to remain stable.

Davidson said the coalition already serves people in surrounding counties, this program only takes it a step further, allowing the homeless coalition to meet the people where they already are.

The Rapid Rehousing program will serve about 16 surrounding counties, and will likely lead the coalition to help at least an additional 30 individuals each year.

“If we can keep them in their home county where they might have some support system, they also know where the employers are; they may have somebody they can call; they’re more likely know someone when they get in a job that might be willing to ride share,” Davidson said. “It helps them long term … and provides much more successful outcomes … Having any of those resources available, that will reduce homelessness in Clark County and also help the entire region.”

The expansion of its services allows the coalition to serve families as it has always wanted to, Davidson said. Homelessness is generally traumatic, and it can be extremely traumatic for children and families, she said. The additional units and rent assistance programs allow families to experience a homelike environment, which will be much safer than an average shelter and will hopefully, Davidson said, reduce trauma.

Trauma can typically lead to lifelong issues.

“When can cause and create less trauma, it will lead to better outcomes,” she said.

Davidson said the new project is a leap forward in the coalition’s vision of ending homelessness in the community.

“It impacts all of us,” Davidson said.

With its current services, Davidson said the coalition is already contributing about $1.7 million a year back into the community, based on the reduction of the need for social services and welfare, client income, reduction in crime and more.

“Through the clients, we have now, we already see a dramatic benefit back into the community,” Davison said. “ … Expanding this, it will greatly increase that.”