On Sept. 5, Mayor Craig Greenberg notified the public of a new project: Home for Good. This initiative will help to house up to 250 individuals, and emphasizes supportive housing. Permanent Supportive Housing is a national best practice that combines housing, mental healthcare and social services to support chronically dehoused people.
According to the Metro United Way, Louisville contains 12,385 individuals who experienced dehousing in 2024, many of whom received sheltering. Another 1,537 individuals are chronically dehoused and require additional support to get out of shelters and off the streets. In total, the Louisville community is short 1,245 permanent supportive housing units. While the Home for Good initiative sounds effective, it will only house up to 250 willing individuals, which is a low figure compared to the dehoused population in Louisville alone.
Though the initiative is a great place to start, many other private businesses have already begun working to create supportive housing for the dehoused. In 2024, St. Johns began constructing transitional housing, specifically focused on long-term housing for residents to receive any mental health care needs and get situated with a steady income to then begin the transition into their own homes. In addition, in August of 2024, the Louisville Metro Council unanimously voted to pass an ordinance that now requires Louisville businesses to accept job applications with shelter or temporary housing on the address line.
These initiatives have already made steady progress towards combating the dehoused crisis of Louisville. Last year’s increase in the dehoused population peaked at 9.8%, whereas just three years ago, it reached 41%. Since these initiatives are already handling the crisis with care and good intention, Greenberg’s new initiative is too little and too late. Moreover, the initiative will be slow-rolling, claiming to have helped only 250 individuals by 2027. The idea of the initiative is commendable, but partnering with organizations and ordinances that already exist would make for a much quicker, effective and cheap solution. With government backing, the already exciting plans, that have been in motion for years, could have moved faster and been more effective, instead of starting from square-one, especially on an issue that involves the livelihood of many individuals.
While the thought of Greenberg’s initiative is good in theory, if he had partnered with the community, the positive impact would have been much greater, rather than having to build from a genesis. In 2024, Greenberg said that Louisville had approximately 2,400 vacant properties. The money from partnered organizations could instead go toward improving these properties and turning them into transitional housing units to help provide for the cause. This could effectively house all of the individuals on the streets and in shelters. Mayor Greenberg’s plan to provide supportive housing individuals in Louisville is important, but could have been much greater.
