LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness, a dramatic rise driven mostly by a lack of affordable housing as well as devastating natural disasters and a surge of migrants in several parts of the country. 

What You Need To Know

  • Federal officials say the United States saw an 18.1% increase in homelessness

  • Nonprofit agencies have seen a influx of people coming into the shelter who have never been homeless before many are young families

  • In the last several years, Louisville nonprofit agencies say they have struggled to keep providing for those in need 

  • Wayside Christian Mission is currently renovating its facilities to help keep up with the growing homeless rate

Homelessness is an ongoing crisis that continues to rise across the commonwealth. Chief operating officer for Wayside Christian Mission Nina Moseley said they are seeing a lot of people coming into the shelter who have never been homeless before. 

“We have seen a tremendous amount of families that are staying outside, whether they’re staying in vehicles or whether they’re camping out or whether they’re, couch surfing from one place to the next, to the next to the next and just don’t have a place to call home,” said Moseley.

Wayside Christian Mission has been housing people since 1957. Moseley said they are seeing more young families experiencing homelessness.

“It sounds so bland when you say 18% increase in homelessness. But when you break it down to the families with the young children, these are children that are growing up in a shelter,” added Moseley.

Twenty-five years ago Curtis Taylor started Loaves and Fishes Inc. out of the trunk of his car after seeing a homeless individual eating out of the trash can. He wanted to do more. 

Taylor said in the last several years, nonprofit agencies have struggled to keep providing services for those who need them.

“You still struggling to get to where you need to be, and you haven’t really got there yet to try to meet the needs of the overwhelmed people that has come here in Louisville, Kentucky, to, get the resources that they need to survive, the trauma that they’re going through right now,” said Taylor.

Moseley says Louisville has seen a shortage of affordable housing for many years.

“I think that there are works now where people are trying to create more affordable housing, but it doesn’t happen overnight. So in the meantime, you have these young families that are just out in limbo, and there’s no place really to put them,” said Moseley.

Moseley said Wayside Christian Mission is currently renovating its facilities, which will create more shelter spaces to help keep up with the growing homeless rate.

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