St. Vincent de Paul Louisville
SERVING THOSE IN NEED SINCE 1853
September 2026
“St. Vincent saved me:” It's never too late to dream a new dream It would have been easy to give up on John. His record is far from flawless.
He was a cocaine addict. He’s been evicted. He’s attempted suicide more times than he can count. He was chronically homeless for nearly two decades.
dealt with chronic homelessness. This is frequently seen at Ozanam Inn Men’s Emergency Shelter, which provides 24/7 access to shelter beds and supportive services to 60 men.
work to make the transition to permanent housing. John was a joy to have as a client. I am grateful he has a place to call home.”
Last fiscal year, John was one of 182 men served, 18% of whom suffered from substance use (both drug and alcohol) and more than half had multiple mental health conditions. We had 33 men positively exit into stable housing.
“It was a dream come true. I’m not on the streets anymore. St. Vincent helped me with that,” John added.
And yet, at the heart of our mission, that is what makes St. Vincent de Paul Louisville special: seeing people with compassion and dignity despite where they come from. We find a way to help people rewrite their story. “St. Vincent saved me,” said John, who is 56 years old. “I came here in July 2024 for white flag when it was so hot. Mrs. Bridges (former SVDP employee) said, ‘We have a room for you.’ And that’s where it started because I would have been out here on the streets.” You might be surprised to learn that John grew up in stable housing. He wasn’t used to the street life until his late 30s. “I was 37. It was rough. It was really rough to wake up and not have a place to go,” John added. “I always had a place to stay and food to eat.” In the early 2000s, John’s mom and dad passed away. In 2007, he began a period of experiencing homelessness on and off for nearly two decades. At times, he would work some side jobs to pay rent or slept at local shelters, but mental health challenges made it hard to retain any kind of long-term housing. “Depression led to my homelessness,” he said. One in four clients served in our housing programs have
And yet, with some patience and grace—including a bed to sleep, food to eat, and access to case management or clinical counseling—men like John can make progress towards self-sufficiency. In April, he successfully moved into a two-bedroom house. “I am very proud of John’s journey from being in and out of emergency shelters for years to finally being able to secure permanent housing,” said Kimberly Toop, Ozanam Inn Program Manager. “He always has a smile on his face and was willing to put in the necessary hard
John is still a familiar face at the SVDP Drop-In Center, which is a safe space in the Family Success Center helping adults navigate barriers to obtain housing or employment and provides digital access. “The SVDP Drop-In Center gives me a peace of mind. The staff is very helpful,” he said. “I can come here and get on the computer.” Though John would acknowledge he’s not where he wants to be, he’s not where he used to be. “I have good days; I have bad days. It’s a lot easier to deal with the bad days now … I have a better outlook on life,” John said. “St. Vincent has helped a lot.”