Thanks to a grant, the Clark County Homeless Coalition will be able to expand on its current services and continue its mission of helping lift residents out of homelessness, and improve positive outcomes for our community in the process.

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.

The funding will allow CCHC to rent three apartments that will provide housing for families in need. Participating families will receive the same services like those at Wainscott Hall as the coalition assists in moving them on to permanent housing, including case management, lifeskill and budgeting classes, recovery support, GED classes and counseling.

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.

CCHC offers a vital resource to our community.

By helping residents find stable housing, the entire community benefits.

According to CCHC’s website, a recent study of the economic benefit to the community of the help and services offered at Wainscott Hall and CCHC showed a benefit to the community of more than $970,000 per year.

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.

Helping solve the issues that lead to homelessness in our community not only results in stable housing for dozens of people each year. It reduces crime, it improves the overall health and wellbeing of the community and it leads to better outcomes for our young people, among other positive outcomes.

Most importantly, ending homelessness improves the lives of our neighbors, and we are proud of the work at CCHC to inspire others and look forward to the progress this program brings to our community.