FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Catherine McGeeney, cmcgeeney@louhomeless.org
Coalition for the Homeless Awards $4.5 Million to Fight Family Homelessness in Louisville
These awards were funded by the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund to help families exit homelessness
Louisville, KY (July 29, 2025)—The Coalition for the Homeless announced today that they’ve awarded 10 local agencies a total of $4.5 million in funding over the next four years from their Bezos Day 1 Families Fund grant. These dollars will fund rapid rehousing, family shelter expansion, transitional housing, case management, and will provide housing barrier assistance funds to unhoused families served through these programs.
For months, family shelters have been full in Louisville, and the family shelter waitlist has had about a dozen families on it on any given night, sleeping in spaces not intended for human habitation. In 2024, nearly 2,000 of the people who received homeless services in Louisville were part of a family.
“We all agree that no family should have to sleep on the streets or in their cars. Many Louisville organizations have plans to reach this goal but lack the necessary funding,” said Natalie Harris, Executive Director of the Coalition for the Homeless. “Today we’re happy to announce that ten local agencies will have new resources to make a difference for unhoused Louisville families.”
The Coalition announced in November that they’d been awarded a $5 million grant from the Day 1 Families Fund. They promptly hired a Family Homelessness Resources Manager to advocate for families and create the funding plan; conducted sessions to listen to families with lived experience of homelessness and agencies who serve them; solicited applications for the grants and allocated the funds; and on an ongoing basis will work with organizations across the city on case conferencing, training, and advocacy.
Funded agencies include Catholic Charities; Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered; Mama to Mama; Metro Office of Social Services; Option to Success; Salvation Army; St. Vincent de Paul; UP for Women & Children; Volunteers of America; and Wayside Christian Mission.
“This funding is truly life-changing,” said Kazia Anderson, Executive Director of Mama to Mama. “It will allow us to open the doors of Granny’s House and provide safe shelter, compassionate care, and critical support to pregnant women and their families who need it most. It’s an investment in healthier moms, stronger babies, and brighter futures.”
About the Coalition for the Homeless
The Coalition for the Homeless is a nonprofit with a mission to prevent and end homelessness in Louisville. The Coalition advocates for change, educates the public about the face of homelessness, and coordinates the work of their 40+ member agencies across the city. For more information, call (502) 636-9550, or find the Coalition online at louhomeless.org, facebook.com/LouHomeless, or instagram.com/coalitionforhomeless.