St. Vincent de Paul Louisville

Campus Programs

Family Success Center
The Family Success Center opened in September of 2014 to provide educational and social development opportunities for at-risk children who have experienced extreme poverty and homelessness. A $1.4 million project, the Center serves the children who live on the SVDP campus (currently about 60 children) as well as youths in the surrounding neighborhoods of Smoketown and Shelby Park. The Center provides year-round programming.

The two-story facility features work rooms such as an art and music room, a homework room equipped with laptop computers, a gym and a specially equipped kitchen for teaching culinary skills. Our partners include Dare to Care, which provides a Kids Cafe, and JCPS (the Center is a JCPS Learning Site).

Curriculum guides students’ creative thinking skills, curiosity and self-esteem. Programs include tutoring, athletics, and enrichment workshops such as art classes, interpersonal communication, finance for kids and cooking lessons.

The Family Success Center offers programming during spring break and the summer vacation period as well. Importantly, a goal of the Center is to engage parents, helping them become more informed and empowered as parents, a key factor to each child’s success both in personal development and in school.

Open Hand Kitchen
St. Vincent de Paul’s Open Hand Kitchen opened in October 1983 in the St. Paul Church at 1026 South Jackson St. The Open Hand Kitchen relies heavily on dedicated groups of volunteers, who serve two meals a day – at noon for lunch and 5pm for dinner – to anyone in need, no questions asked. Each year, the Open Hand Kitchen serves more than 170,000 meals.

Food Pantry
With support from Dare to Care Food Bank, St. Vincent de Paul’s Food Pantry opened in July 2014, serving residents in one of Louisville’s poorest neighborhoods. Open six hours a week (9am to noon, Tuesdays and Thursdays) and staffed by volunteers, the pantry offers canned goods, proteins, pasta, shelf-stable beverages as well as frozen foods including meat, poultry and fish. Fresh produce is also available year-round. Each month, the Food Pantry helps more than 375 households, preventing hunger among the elderly and families with young children.

DePaul Apartments
Formerly permanent supportive housing for families, DePaul Apartments has recently changed focus to provide transitional housing for 12 homeless families. With guidance from a staff case manager, these resident families work to address specific goals and objectives designed to help them become self-sufficient.

Ozanam Inn Men’s Shelter and Recovery Program
Ozanam Inn is a men’s homeless shelter with 58 emergency, overnight bunk beds for men who would otherwise be on the streets. Staffed 24 hours a day, the shelter offers professional case management to homeless men. In partnership with the Veterans Administration, SVDP also offers case management and private rooms to 20 homeless veterans. [1034 S. Jackson St.; 502-584-2480, ext. 241.]

Roberts Hall
Roberts Hall is a 24-room, long-term program that serves single women 21 years of age or older. Residents must be drug/alcohol free and work toward self-improvement and independence. Each resident has a private room and shares common areas including, two lounges, computer area, kitchen, dining room, bathrooms and laundry facilities. Residents are responsible for shopping and preparing their own meals, doing their own laundry, keeping their private rooms clean and doing assigned chores around the building. Roberts Hall residents are encouraged to work, volunteer, or go to school at least 20 hours a week, in order to become truly independent.

Tranquil House Apartments
Tranquil House is a permanent supportive housing complex that serves 12 mentally ill adults. Most of the residents receive case management services through the local community mental health center or the Veterans Administration. St. Vincent de Paul provides crisis intervention when necessary.

Simon Hall
Simon Hall is a permanent housing facility for 10 men who were chronically homeless. Residents are required to sign a one-year lease and accept ongoing case management. Each resident is assigned household chores, encouraged to participate in community activities and attend recovery meetings, if necessary.

St Jude Women’s Recovery Center
Operated in partnership with Jefferson Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center (JADAC) since July 2015, St. Jude Women’s Recovery Center is St. Vincent de Paul’s state-licensed alcohol and drug abuse treatment facility that has been serving Louisville since 1985. In its present facility since 1998, the facility expanded capacity in the summer of 2016, from 30 beds to 50 beds for women seeking treatment for alcoholism and drug dependency.

Case management services are provided to help residents set goals and work toward self-sufficiency. In addition to daily chores, the women work in teams to cook dinner for each other. The clients are required to work and attend recovery meetings. Those who receive disability income are required to do 20 hours of volunteer work a week. [431 E. St. Catherine St.; 502-584-2480, ext. 333]

SVDP Homes Apartments
Ten single-bedroom apartments for single parents who are homeless and disabled, and their children, are located on the SVDP campus. In addition, the campus has 12 two-bedroom and eight three-bedroom apartments for families who are homeless and disabled, and their children. Participation in case management is required for all.

SVDP Homes SRO
The SVDP campus includes a 24-room single room occupancy (SRO) for homeless, disabled women and men. Case management is offered to help residents overcome barriers to self-sufficiency. Participants cook their own meals and do their own laundry, along with household chores. As with other SVDP programs, many of the clients in the SRO work or volunteer.

Off-Site Supportive Housing
St. Vincent de Paul case managers also provide support to formerly homeless families and adults who live in off-site housing. Clients are encouraged to address barriers to their independence and strive to lead productive, self-sufficient lives.

In the spirit of caring and respect, services are provided without regard to race, religion or national origin.