Program Overview
Since it first opened its doors in 1986, St. John Center, Inc. has provided day services for homeless men in the Louisville area. The agency’s mission is to create an atmosphere that encourages homeless men to envision a life of hope, take shelter, and find rest. 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 188 clients every day.
Three complementary programs offer homeless men consistent opportunities to move along a continuum of care from crisis to stability, from homelessness to self-sufficiency. First 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. In calendar year 2009, St. John Center served 2,405 individual men who visited the shelter 68,507 times (up 4.45% from 2008).
Secondly, St. John Center coordinates a residential recovery program for 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 14 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.
Finally, St. John Center operates a permanent supportive housing program. This 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 28 homeless men in permanent supportive housing in 2009. Another 30 continue to thrive in housing they received with our programs in 2006, 2007 and 2008. St. John Center looks forward to assisting another 25 chronically homeless men with permanent supportive housing using a new federal grant received in December 2009.