Louisville has had a difficult history with homelessness, seeing a continuous increase in homelessness rates over the last year and a lack of shelters and housing options. However, the city and its officials have begun to construct ideas and ordinances to combat the issue. On Aug. 8, Metro Council unanimously passed a new ordinance that will require businesses to accept job applications with shelters or other temporary housing facilities in an applicant’s address line. This removes one of the many hurdles the homeless population faces.
“What are we doing to help people get out of that predicament, get people to the point where they can work, eliminate the barriers that are preventing them from having the dignity and the self worth to make an income and make a living?” Councilman Jecorey Arthur said when explaining the need for the ordinance.
One of the many organizations impacted by the new ordinance is the Coalition for the Homeless, a very influential organization when it comes to supporting Louisville’s Homeless population.
“Homelessness is an issue of poverty,” Catherine McGeeney, the Director of Communications for the Coalition for the Homeless said.
The Coalition recorded a steady increase of homelessness from 2018-2021 and detailed ways to improve this crisis, one of which was to “improve the options” that the homeless have. One important such option is having the ability to work while living in a shelter. Allowing a person the ability to apply for jobs and work while looking for permanent housing provides a far better support system than waiting until permanent housing is secured to work.
“Unfortunately, there are people who cannot get employment because they don’t have housing and can’t get housing because they don’t have employment. The number one reason people are unhoused, that people are evicted, is because they lack the income,” Arthur said.
In 2021, the University of Chicago found that 93% of the homeless population in the U.S. worked part or full time, however, sheltered people began to perform better and earn higher wages than those living on the streets. Shelters allow those who are homeless to begin to earn money and hopefully overcome poverty.
People awaiting permanent housing or who are in shelters are now given the ability to begin to shatter the cycle of poverty. When a person accrues enough money to attain permanent housing, more room will open up for others to take their spot in a shelter and begin to build their road towards permanent housing. However, there are still more challenges, other than unemployment, that the homeless face. With the help of the Louisville community, shelters and other organizations, such as the Coalition for the Homeless, the city can further remove homeless injustice and work to solve the issues that are faced today. To become involved in the fight against homelessness, visit the sites of organizations such as the Coalition to see what you can do.
Councilman Arthur urges the Louisville community to get involved by visiting the Louisville Metro website, talking with their metro council person about their visions and hope for the city, signing up for the Metro council newsletter and coming to Council meetings.
