Hundreds of regional leaders, changemakers and community volunteers will gather on March 21, 2014, at the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky’s (ESNKY) annual fundraiser themed ‘Homeless to Hopeful’ this year.
They will celebrate the shelter’s 15-year anniversary, hear directly from those impacted by the shelter’s work, and learn how they can best help the ever-growing number of people who don’t have a safe, stable and permanent place to sleep every night.
“As we celebrate our fifteenth anniversary, traditionally the “crystal anniversary,” the importance of our work remains crystal clear. Adults in our community need access to low-barrier shelter and services that promote compassion, respect and dignity,” said ESNKY Executive Director Kim M. Webb. “For fifteen years we’ve stepped up to provide these critical services and programs and will continue as long as the need is here.”
The shelter is the region’s only low-barrier, harm reduction shelter. This means that ESNKY provides easy access to stay in their shelter by lowering barriers to entry, such as sobriety and committing to treatment.
Over the years the shelter has added high-quality, holistic services that help their guests to get back on their feet and recover from homelessness. These include an onsite medical clinic; a daytime “Navigation Center” with showers, laundry and cell phone charging; community partner rooms; and a housing work program. All of this in a state-of-the-art, 68-bed facility that opened in February 2022.
The low-barrier-with-services approach has been called “innovative” by peers, community leaders and changemakers including Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear. Both the shelter and its executive director have been recognized with awards for their work.
Yet despite the impactful work ESNKY and others are doing to help the homeless, federal data shows that the region is experiencing the largest increase in people forced to live outdoors – where they are three times more likely to die — in at least a decade.
The shelter encourages the community to learn more and lend their support at their Homeless to Hopeful event: Thursday, March 21, 2024, from 6 to 8 PM at the Erlanger Receptions Event Center. Purchase tickets at https://emergencyshelternky.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/HomelesstoHopeful2024/Tickets/tabid/1406992/Default.aspx. More information is at emergencyshelternky.org.
