LOUISVILLE, Ky. — People without housing continues to be an issue in the commonwealth. On any given January night, there are about 4,000 Kentuckians experiencing homelessness, according to the Homeless and Housing Coalition of Kentucky.

James Rudder used to be a game time porter, moving kegs around the concession stands at the Cincinnati Reds.

“I was working on a game, and ... I was putting a keg above, above my head and I popped something on my shoulder. So it kind of hurt, hurt my arm,” said Rudder.

The injury cost him his job, and losing his job cost him his home. He moved to Louisville because he said he had nowhere else to go. He began living on the street.

“Not knowing where you’re going to get a meal, not knowing where you’re going to really be or if you’re safe. I mean, I’ve had guns pulled out on me. I’ve had my stuff stolen,” Rudder said.

That’s when he said Hope Village, a transformational housing community, invited him in to eat.

“You feel safe and you’re in a warm spot, and you have positive people, you know, that you can look to and ask questions and look up to,” he said.

While staying at Hope Village, he said he is working as security for large venues in Louisville, with one goal in mind.

“I’m trying to save my money that, you know, that’s why I got a job. To try to save money to get a place,” he said.

Rudder said he hopes to move out of Hope Village and have his own place in the next six months. After that, he is chasing his lifelong dream.

“Whatever I do next, like, you know, my main, one of my main goals is to own my own restaurant,” Rudder said.

Hope Village is just over two and a half years old.

When it hit its two-year anniversary in May 2024, it had helped 200 people receive housing and 150 find permanent housing.