The Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky (ESNKY) officially opened their winter shelter on Wednesday, welcoming those adults in the community that need a place to sleep as temperatures begin to drop.
The organization runs the area’s only low-barrier, immediate-entry, night-by-night cold shelter. This is a crucial service for those adults in the community experiencing homelessness. Without the winter shelter, unhoused individuals in the community run the risk of freezing to death as temperatures plummet in the winter.
“Today, for the fifteenth year, we welcome women and men to come here for a warm bed to sleep in as they need it,” said ESNKY Executive Director Kim Webb. “We believe homelessness is an emergency and that everyone needs and deserves a bed to sleep in. Only when this necessity is provided do human beings have the ability to recover from homelessness.”
(From left) Pastor Jake Kollman of Seven Hills Church, Florence; Pastor Melissa Stephens of Florence Christian Church, Florence; Father Daniel Schomakerof St. Augustine Catholic Church, Covington; Sister Janet Bucher of Church of our Savior, Covington; Father Mark Keene, Vicar General of the Diocese of Covington; Father Mike Comer of Mother of God Catholic Church, Covington; Pastor Tyler Monquin-Lee of Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, Cincinnati; Rabbi Matthew Kraus of the University of Cincinnati; and Rabbi Ari Jun of Jewish Community Relations Council, Cincinnati
The shelter held an Open House and a Shelter Blessing this past week to prepare for the opening. They opened the doors to the community and more than 75 volunteers, supporters, community, and religious leaders attended the events. People brought winter gear like hats, gloves, and coats along with needed kitchen items like paper goods and coffee. Religious leaders from around the region attended and gave their blessings for the shelter, its work and those who need its services. Attendees toured the shelter to see it in action and two guests currently staying at the shelter spoke about what it’s like to be homeless in Northern Kentucky.
“We are unique and provide an innovative approach to sheltering,” said Webb. “When an individual does not have shelter, they are often in crisis. We meet individuals where they are, offering services when they need them and removing barriers like entry requirements and program commitments which are often hard to meet when an individual is in crisis.”
The organization provides emergency shelter and a transitional housing work program to adult men in need year-round. The winter shelter provides beds to women from November to March. All adults can access daytime services like laundry, showers, and the Navigation Center year-round.
The Daytime Navigation & Engagement Center is where guests can connect with other agencies, find the next step in their journey, and do many normal “home” activities such as watch television, work on the computer, eat and socialize. The shelter also has the only free, do-it-yourself laundry program in Northern Kentucky and an onsite healthcare clinic which helps divert emergency room traffic and provides preventative care like vaccines. Their housing work program provides transitional beds to adult men and helps them to move toward economic and housing stability.
“We find that sometimes all a person needs is a bed for one night and then they are able to self-resolve and carry on. In fact, most of our guests spent less than 14 nights with us. If you think about it, that’s the length of a paycheck. That’s all they needed,” said Webb. “That’s the benefit of a low barrier, night-by-night, emergency shelter. We can give our guests what they need when they need it.”
Religious leaders from across the community recognized the need for and value of ESNKY and attended the Shelter Blessing to offer their support and blessings for the coming winter season.
Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky
