“I’m inspired.”

Anticipation has been building for the launch of the Community Care Campus in Smoketown. This is a gamechanger in the city of Louisville and fills a void for those in need.

Matt Reed, Director of the Community Care Campus of the Volunteers of America Mid-States, talks about the story and planning behind this $58 million project, which is in partnership with Louisville Metro Government.

Matt shares how the campus will serve as a centralized, coordinated hub where up to 500 individuals experiencing homelessness annually can access support in one place. He talks about the excitement to complete phase one of the project, Unity House, which is an emergency family shelter with 29 units and opens July 30.

On any given day, there are about 1,500 households waiting for housing in our community. On a good week, only a dozen are placed in housing. That’s less than 1%, or a 1/125 chance, of getting housed that week.

“Unfortunately, we're rationing something that I really hate we have to ration as a society and that's housing because the demand always far outpaces the supply that we have available. So, we're ranking and prioritizing people. And to me, that's kind of sad when I operate from the premise that housing should be a fundamental human right.”

In our 50th podcast episode, Family Health Centers-Phoenix celebrates 50 years as a primary care provider for the unhoused population in our community. Carey Addison, Health Care for the Homeless Supervisor, talks about the harsh reality of securing affordable housing in our community, his extensive experience in housing policy, and the backstory to the Common Assessment Street Outreach Team.

Hope is not simply wishful thinking—it’s about expectation. It believes the best about God, the best about people, and the best about our circumstances.

In this podcast episode, Choose Hope founder and businesswomen Britney Smith bravely shares her story about breaking generational cycles of addiction and instability.

A former SVDP resident, Britney opens up about experiencing homelessness, losing custody of her children, relational poverty, and overcoming substance abuse. She reflects on how resilience was built over time and how those experiences led her to launch Choose Hope, which is an organization that helps those struggling with addiction and mental health to reclaim their self-worth. Britney now uses her experiences to encourage others.

Why access to affordable child care changes a community?

Finding accessible, high‑quality child care can feel overwhelming for many families across Jefferson County. With annual costs exceeding $11,000 per child, child care can consume 10–20% of a household’s budget—placing pressure on parents with young children (according to the Kentucky Lantern).

In this episode, Reylene Robinson, Executive Director of Thrive by Five, joins the conversation to unpack why child care is more than a family issue—it’s an essential infrastructure for housing stability and Kentucky’s economic future. Reylene shares about Thrive by Five, one of the community’s newest nonprofits, and some innovative solutions to the child care system.

Did you know that nearly half of Louisville's renters are cost burdened—spending more than 30% of their income on housing and utilities?

In this podcast episode, Tony Curtis, the Executive Director of Metropolitan Housing Coalition, breaks down what happens when there’s a lack of affordable and accessible housing. Every day, families struggle to keep a roof over their heads while wages stagnate.

In MHC’s 2025 Report, Tony shares the drivers behind an increase in housing instability shaping our city, the latest trends in housing and wages, and three keys to housing success moving forward.

Check out MHC’s latest initiative, www.roofoverourhead.org/

This conversation dives into the intersection between tourism and homelessness in shaping our city.

In this episode, Louisville Tourism President & CEO Cleo Battle and Greater Louisville Inc. President & CEO Sarah Davasher-Wisdom talk about the "brand of Louisville" and the economic ripple effect of homelessness on attracting new businesses or visitor perception.

With Louisville Tourism estimating an annual economic impact of more than $4.4 billion, we ask an important question, "How does visible homelessness impact economic development, tourism, and the Louisville brand?"

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Scarlet Hope founder Rachelle Starr used to drive past "Theatre X" everyday on her way to work without thinking twice about the sex entertainment industry. Today, she goes into strip clubs with home-cooked meals and brings hope to the women inside.

In 2007, Rachelle founded Scarlet Hope, a nonprofit that shares the hope and love of Jesus with women in the adult entertainment industry. Scarlet Hope has since expanded across 10 cities in the United States from Las Vegas and Los Angeles to Atlanta and Orlando. Rachelle is a national speaker who has trained thousands of people to launch similar nonprofits worldwide. She is also the author of “Outrageous Obedience.” You can download to listen, or watch now!

Watch: https://youtu.be/WnzD9wFdLpw

Our CEO Dave Calzi sits down with Rachelle to talk about the local and global sex entertainment industry:

• Rachelle shares her story and how Scarlet Hope launched.
• In the early years of Scarlet Hope, Rachelle talks about her many personal doubts and others calling her "crazy." She shares about overcoming her initial fears and her organization's frontline work to combat sex trafficking.
• How Hollywood films like "Taken" or "Sound of Freedom" may not give us an accurate picture of the adult entertainment industry.
• Louisville is the 13th largest sex industry per capita in America. Rachelle says sex trafficking is happening "right next door" and gives us a look behind the curtain into the adult entertainment industry—whether in strip clubs, online, or on the streets.
• Rachelle and her team went to this year's Super Bowl in Las Vegas. She shares about sex trafficking at the Super Bowl and their organization's outreach experience.
  
  To learn more, visit https://scarlethope.org/.

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In this conversation, Dare to Care's President and CEO Vincent James will inspire you to serve others! As a nonprofit partner of SVDP, James and his team help feed those in need. A ton of the food we cook for clients or hand out to them—try 27,000+ pounds of food last month to the Open Hand Kitchen and Food Pantry—comes from Dare to Care.

CEO Dave Calzi talks to him about many exciting topics, and come to find out, they have a lot in common! They chat about their mutual love for Muhammad Ali, coming from financial backgrounds, and sharing the same mission.

James opens up about:

• his upbringing, faith, and calling to serve others
• Dare to Care's compensation study and securing $10-15K raises for frontline employees who were working 2-3 jobs
• Dare to Care's desire to move to a plant-based diet to increase life expectancy
• working as Metro's Chief of Community Building during the pandemic and summer of 2020 protests over the killing of Breonna Taylor
• serving as the Senior Pastor of Elim Baptist Church, and even praying with one NFL quarterback before every game

Visit https://daretocare.org/ for more information about this local nonprofit.

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