LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Elizabethtown Police say a domestic incident led to a man killing a mother and her daughter on Monday, Aug. 19. He also wounded another person before taking police on a chase and killing himself.
Louisville Metro government wants to help those trying to escape domestic violence.
Nova Stubbs and Montez Phoenix are outreach specialists with Metro’s Homeless Services Division.
Last week they helped a young mother escape a domestic violence situation with her children.
“We got a call from our supervisor to meet a young lady and her two kids at a store on 15th and Broadway. We met her there, and she was just in distress. She needed somewhere to go,” Phoenix said.
Phoenix and Stubbs worked to help the mother find temporary housing and connect her with other resources.
“She didn’t know what she wanted to do with her kids. She didn’t know if she wanted to turn them over to the state. She didn’t know she wanted to drop them off at the Home of the Innocence, she was just afraid and confused,” Phoenix said.
Thirteen people work in the city’s Homeless Services Division. They connect people without housing to resources and help them find shelter.
The team also helps people experiencing homelessness obtain things like a government ID, social security card and a birth certificate.
According to The National Alliance to End Homelessness, last year, over 10% of beds for emergency shelter, transitional housing and safe haven in homeless service systems were for survivors of domestic abuse and their families.
“The first thing to do is get away [from] the abuser. We, you know, we try to point them in various directions. There are a lot of other community resources for them. But our goal is to meet them, you know, at the, at the ground and to like, you know, get them housed, get them safe, and, you know, just show them that their city cares about them,” Stubbs said.
Montez and Stubbs say it feels good to help those who are struggling.
“I feel like community is as strong as its weakest link. And when you see other people suffering, it’s like we’re suffering. So we have to help the bottom and help them grow and make, you know, make their lives better,” Stubbs said.
Various emergency shelter options are available, including family overnight shelters, single overnight emergency shelters and young adult shelters.
Louisville Metro Government expects to open phase one of the new Community Care campus later this year. The emergency shelter will be run by Volunteers of America and will include thirty private units for families experiencing homelessness.