NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. — A homeless shelter in Nicholasville is on the brink of closure because of a severe financial deficit. Jessamine County Homeless Coalition has been providing shelter, food and job assistance to homeless individuals for eight years, but now is just 60 days away from potentially closing its doors.
Once upon a time, Johnny Templin, executive director of Jessamine County Homeless Coalition, had big plans for an empty lot off Broadway in Nicholasville.
“We were going to use that for townhomes do in the future, transitional town homes,” Templin said.
Jessamine County Homeless Coaltion has been providing emergency shelter and 90-day case management to the homeless population of Jessamine County for eight years. A few years ago, they decided it was time to expand their services.
In 2019, the nonprofit purchased the Broadway lot from Jessamine County Public Schools, but after a few months decided it would not fit the needs of their proposed facility. Templin said they tried selling it off, but during that process a Phase 2 study and soil analysis from the Environmental Protection Agency found the site was too toxic to build on.
“They found high levels of lead and arsenic in the property throughout. Some of the test holes had as much arsenic that it was eight times the level for the EPA to have a residential property on,” Templin said.
It’s put a financial strain on the nonprofit, which is paying the loan, insurance and maintaining the land while still operating its emergency shelter, all while trying to open its Growth and Hope Center. The shelter’s Growth and Hope Center was a space proposed for domestic violence, substance abuse and veterans programs.
Some financial relief was brought to JCHC after Christ Embassy Now Church in Nicholasville assumed some of the task of opening the center and providing those crucial resources to Jessamine County residents.
“They’re taking on that commercial debt that we took for the Center for Growth and Hope. They will finish the construction and they’re also submitting for a new nonprofit down there,” Templin said.
But the burden of a useless lot still falls back on Templin and his staff. Now, JCHC is suing the previous owners of the lot, the City of Nicholasville and Jessamine County Public Schools; seeking a void of the contract and damages.
A 15-page suit filed last week alleges both the school district and city knew or caused the contamination and intentionally withheld that information at the time of sale.
“Somebody made a dump there and not just once, there’s scientific evidence that shows it being done over and over,” Templin said.
While relief from the church helps, Templin said immediate funding is needed within 60 days for the shelter to stay open.
“We’re confident that the community will step up and help us with this need and keep this vital service open for our community,” Templin said.
Nicholasville Mayor Alex Carter sent Spectrum News 1 a statement in response to the lawsuit that reads:
“The City of Nicholasville has not yet been served with this lawsuit, but the Plaintiff’s attorney sent an advance copy of the complaint to our city attorney. This lawsuit references a parcel of land the city has not owned since the early 1950s. We do not believe the litigation is well founded in the facts or the law with respect to the claims against the city. This City of Nicholasville has previously communicated with the owner’s representatives and have offered to assist the Plaintiff in applying for grants from the state government that may be available to address their concerns. As always it is our intention to make every effort to do what is best for the residents of Nicholasville.”
Spectrum News 1 also reached out to Jessamine County Schools and are awaiting a reply.
The Growth and Hope Center operated by the church will be located at 514 N. Main Street and plans to open in June. Anyone wishing to help Jessamine County Homeless Coalition can do so on their website.