Grand Opening of Louisville’s first women only day shelter

By Andrew | August 14, 2018 |

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Last Friday, Uniting Partners (UP) for Women and Children had their grand opening as the first women’s only day shelter in Louisville. UP Louisville is located in the basement of the Diocesan house, adjacent to Christ Church Cathedral on 2nd Street.

The Mayor of Louisville, Greg Fischer, officiated the ribbon-cutting and he also took a few minutes to talk about the city’s efforts in reducing homelessness in Louisville. “We know it is really challenging and sometimes it’s complicated. We know people are looking into it from the outside telling us how we should do it and how easy it can be. We are going to keep working at it. When we have a challenge, we lean in as a city and work together”, the Mayor added as he addressed guests.

The Founders of Up Louisville, Andrea Scott and Amy Schutz also spoke to guests about why they started this organization. Scott talked about the 7,000 people who are homeless in Louisville, and cited that a third of those are women. The city currently does not have enough services to meet the needs of this population. Their mission at UP Louisville is to provide a healthy and safe place for homeless women and children that include services such as shelter, showers, laundry, case management and life skills.

District 4 Councilwoman Barbara Sexton Smith shared stories about her experiences with the homeless community. “I have met the women who are living in the camps in District 4, and they want the same things you and I want. “ She praised the Mayor for all the work he has done in Louisville and gave credit to Andrea and Amy for what they’re doing in the community.

The Grand Opening was attended by representatives from other nonprofits in Louisville who work with the homeless. The center is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:00 in the morning to 1:00 in the afternoon.

RAK Louisville is partnering with UP Louisville to set up volunteers opportunities for students. RAK Louisville thanks all members of the community who contributed towards the women’s toiletries, laundry and cleaning supplies that were needed for the opening of this facility.

More information on UP Louisville can be found at https://www.uplouisville.org/ If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up here: https://www.uplouisville.org/volunteer/