Category: Stories

“The ‘cold’ data on homelessness show us that it costs significantly less, to all of our systems, to house a person and provide services to them than it does to do nothing. Because doing nothing costs a lot.” – Dylan Schell

“I want people to understand that we’re not just a soup kitchen, we’re really trying to get to the root of the issues, trying to break those cycles, and trying to help people move forward.” – Laura Carr

“Mountain Comprehensive Care helped me get back to living life on life’s terms. I don’t have to worry about where I’m going to sleep anymore.” – Cecil Bowling

“Trying to find housing is like pulling teeth. Every time I walked into a complex to apply, it felt like they were judging me and making assumptions just because they could tell I was homeless.” – anonymous Sister

“A lot of the processes to get out the hole are just maddening. I love this place here [Recovery Café], but it’s still hard to get back on your feet.” – James Henderson

“The thing about Recovery Café is it is a space of love. That’s what’s so special about this place” – Chastity Griffin

Cherron Harris works at Eastern State Hospital, a recovery-focused, mental health services hospital located in Lexington, Kentucky that provides individualized inpatient acute care. ESH is part of the University of Kentuky’s UK Healthcare System and is a Lex End Homelessness Continuum of Care member. Below, Cherron tells us about her role at the hospital and about the work her and her colleagues do to support patients facing both mental health issues and homelessness.

We recently got the opportunity to sit down and have a conversation with Phil Gray, president of the Foundation for Affordable Housing, a Lex End Homelessness Continuum of Care partner. The Foundation has run the St. James Place apartments, housing for the working homeless, since 1995 and St. James Place II, a transitional housing program for previously homeless veterans, since 2006.

We recently had the pleasure of talking with Dustin Louthen and Jason DeZarn, street outreach partners who work together at the Hope Center, about the street outreach work they do in our community. From the moment you meet and start talking to these two, it becomes clear just how passionate they are about what they do and also how genuinely good at it they are.