Program Overview
St. John Center has provided day services for homeless men in the Louisville area for 25 years. The agency’s mission is to create an atmosphere that encourages homeless men to envision a life of hope, take shelter, and move forward. We accomplish this by treating each person with dignity and respect, and supporting them in addressing the problems that lead to homelessness. Open seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. John Center serves an average of 170 clients daily.
Three complementary programs offer homeless men consistent opportunities to move along a continuum of care from crisis to stability, from homelessness to self-sufficiency.
1. The emergency day shelter and social services center provides access to hot showers, restroom facilities, hot coffee and cold water, local and long distance telephone service, mail service, and fax service. Also available to homeless clients are: notary public service, job and housing referrals, general clothing items, assistance filling out food stamp and disability claims, assistance acquiring birth certificates, identification letters for regular clients, and mental health counseling.
2. A residential recovery program is offered to homeless men who identify drug or alcohol abuse as a primary factor in becoming homeless. The program is made possible through a partnership with Phoenix Health Center and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. St. John Center pays for transitional housing for up to 24 months while the men learn sober-living skills, increase their education or job skills, and prepare to move to permanent housing. The program works with seven men at a time to provide intensive case management services. Last year, six men graduated from the program with sobriety, a steady income, and permanent housing.
3. A permanent supportive housing program helps men obtain and maintain safe, decent, affordable housing by subsidizing rental and providing the daily or weekly support of a social worker. In partnership with Metro Louisville Housing and Family Services, St. John Center placed 25 homeless men in permanent supportive housing in 2010. Additionally, St. John Center plans to place another 15 chronically homeless men in permanent housing in 2011.