Our Newsletters

April 2024

Did you know that April is National Volunteer Month, a month dedicated to honoring faithful volunteers and encouraging others to engage in service?

For over 37 years, St. John Center volunteers have played key roles in our ability to provide the most needed resources to our unhoused neighbors.

This National Volunteer Month, we recognize the importance of these committed individuals who have selflessly donated their time and effort to help answer phones, sort mail or donations, assist in the shower room, or serve a cup of coffee.

Join us at 5pm on April 24, 2024 for the first ever VV Awards! We’ll gather at the Republic Bank Foundation YMCA to celebrate you: SJC’s volunteers and your dedication to our unhoused neighbors. The event will include refreshments/small bites, games, music, and superlative awards. SJC volunteers are the BEST! 

Happy 38th, St. John

St. John Center’s 38th anniversary is approaching. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing 38 historical snippets going back to SJC’s opening day on April 14, 1986 on our social media channels. The Center has experienced a massive amount of changes and growth since that day. Join us as we journey over 38 years of St. John Center. 

Do you have any photos or memories you’d like to share from SJC’s past? Please email us here. We’d love to feature your stories.

Wish List

• Men’s briefs

• towel and washcloths
• ponchos
• small paper cups

You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details.  For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.   

Fair Housing Month

April is Fair Housing Month! This important celebration recognizes the importance of the Fair Housing Act, passed on April 11, 1968. The law was created to protect people from barriers of discrimination when it comes to buying and selling homes in the United States. It also helps make affordable housing possible. Some of the most damaging forms of discrimination have been found in housing regulations that place minorities far away from quality schools, grocery stores, public transportation, jobs, and more. Learn more about the Fair Housing Act by clicking here. To see how Louisville is working on this issue, click here. 

Join our Monthly Giving Circle

When you join the Monthly Giving Circle, you become part of the sustaining structure of our work. You allow us to allocate resources where they are most needed all year long – because we know we can count on you month after month. You can join the Monthly Giving Circle in two different ways:

Checking or Savings Account
(Best method)

Credit or Debit Card

Sign up by clicking here! For more information, please contact Ashley by clicking here. 

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March 2024

After many years of planning and development, Sheehan Landing is finally ready to come to life. St. John Center welcomes you to join us at the groundbreaking on March 8th at 2pm at 3501 Sheehan Landing Drive.

St. John Center and LDG Development are partnering to develop Sheehan Landing. Once complete, this development will provide 80 units of permanent supportive housing that will serve some of Louisville’s most difficult-to-house populations. This includes those with physical or mental disabilities, those suffering from substance abuse, and other groups whose background makes it difficult for them to rent from private landlords. 

Residents living at Sheehan Landing will have access to wrap-around services that include intensive case management focused on life skills training, harm reduction services, and other onsite services and support. This development will also feature a community room, outdoor seating, a lounge area, laundry rooms, and a host of other amenities. Click the button below to learn more about Sheehan Landing. 

Raisin’ the Rent was a SUCCESS because of our neighbors, like you! 

We made something wonderful happen at Raisin’ the Rent 2024! Your support means we will continue to move people like Dion home. Below is a link to the video we shared at Raisin’ the Rent.  Please feel free to share it with your friends and family or on your social media. 

We are grateful for the support of our presenting sponsors –Atria, LDG Development, Granite IT, and the Kramer Family.  

Sister Sheehan Legacy Society

Planning your estate allows you to provide for your loved ones and the organizations that matter most to you. To learn more about including St. John Center in your estate plan, contact Ashley Murray at (502) 585-3291, ext. 1117, or by email at amurray@stjohncenter.org.

To include a gift to SJC, ask your estate planning attorney to add this suggested wording to your will or living trust.

I give, devise, and bequeath to the St. John Center, a nonprofit with principal offices at 700 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd. <<insert gift>> for the use and benefit of <<where do you want your impact to go?>>.

Wish List

• individual bottles of bug spray

• men’s underwear
• belts

You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details.  For more information, contact Jim at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.   

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February 2024

*{{First Name}}*, get your tickets for Raisin’ the Rent today!

Raisin’ the Rent is just a month away! Tables and tickets are selling quickly! Tickets are $75 and include heavy appetizers, open bar, non-alcoholic beverages, and open seating at the Mellwood Art Center on March 2nd from 6:30–10:30 PM. Tables and sponsorships are still available here. 

We are grateful to our Presenting Sponsors, whose support of Raisin’ the Rent makes gathering in person possible this year! Thank you to Atria Senior Living, Granite IT, the Kramer Family, and LDG Development for helping St. John Center Raise the Rent and help people move home for good. 

Raffle Tickets On Sale

Chances to the Raisin’ the Rent 2024 Raffle are on sale now. Grab your ticket for a Pot of Gold, “Local Dining for a Year, and a week in beautiful Asheville, NC. Every chance supports services at St. John Center. 

Kentucky Charitable Gaming License Number: ORG-0000323. The raffle drawing will take place at 8:45 pm on March 2, 2024 at the Mellwood Art Center, 1860 Mellwood Ave, Louisville KY, 40206. You do not need to be present to win.

ACTION ALERT: Make Your Voice Heard, Kentucky!

St. John Center and other housing related agencies are watching several bills and need your help to make sure our unhoused neighbors needs are heard and prioritized. First up is HB 5 : this bill, as it stands now, will criminalize homelessness and harm Kentuckians — NOT make a safer Kentucky.

TAKE ACTION: Send your senator an email here or call 800-372-7181 and ask your senator to vote NO on HB 5. 

Watch live coverage from Kentucky Educational Television (KET)

Looking for a Bill Tracker? We’ve got some suggestions for you: 1) HHCK 2) Kentuckians for the Commonwealth 3) Kentucky Voices for Health 4) ACLU of Kentucky 

Silent Auction Opens on Feb 24th

Are you in need of home repairs and cleaning, new kitchen appliances, vacation or staycation, or a custom portrait? You’ll find it all at the Raisin’ the Rent Silent Auction! The Silent Auction is completely available on-line and you don’t have to be present to take home a unique package and support St. John Center services at the same time. 

Join our Monthly Giving Circle

When you join the Monthly Giving Circle, you become part of the sustaining structure of our work. You allow us to allocate resources where they are most needed all year long – because we know we can count on you month after month. You can join the Monthly Giving Circle in two different ways:

Checking or Savings Account
(Best method)

Credit or Debit Card

Sign up by clicking here! For more information, please contact Ashley by clicking here. 

Wish List

• Men’s underwear

• wave caps
• combs
• rain ponchos

You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details.  For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.   

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January 2024

New Year, Same Goals

With the new year here, St. John Center, along with the rest of the world, is making resolutions for the New Year. Our resolution for this year, is the same as the years before- to move more people from homelessness into housing, however as the crisis of homelessness is growing, our plans to address the needs are bigger and bolder, and as always we can not achieve them alone.

• Start small – If your resolutions include being more active in your community, you can consider volunteering one day a month at St John Center’s Day Shelter. If you are already volunteering, perhaps you can pick up another shift, or commit to bringing a friend or loved one with you. You could become a monthly donor, and feel confident that even small contributions help our neighbors in a big way. 

  Get support – Sticking to a New Year’s resolution is a lot easier when you have someone else doing it with you or there’s another person to hold you accountable. St John Center’s community is full of compassionate people, who hold us accountable to our mission every day, and can be a part of your community as well. 

  Focus on one resolution at a time –The work we do at St John Center is essential, and helps to make our community a safer, healthier and more compassionate place for all of us. There are hundreds of ways to help, you can focus on just one. 

2024 marks 38 years of service in the Louisville community for SJC, and it will be one with significant growth for us. The result of that growth will be more permanent supportive housing. We will continue to set goals and hit goals all year. Housing is a right!

Lets’s have a great 2024!! 

Raisin’ the Rent Tickets and Raffle Go on Sale Soon

Mark your calendars for our 2024 event! Raisin’ the Rent tickets and raffle chances go on sale on January 15th. Click the link below to join the fun! The silent auction will go live in February. Learn more about the event here. 

We are grateful for the support of our presenting sponsors –Atria, LDG Development Granite IT and the Kramer Family.  For more information on how to sponsor, click here! 

Sister Sheehan Legacy Society

Planning your estate allows you to provide for your loved ones and the organizations that matter most to you. To learn more about including St. John Center in your estate plan, contact Ashley Murray at (502) 585-3291, ext. 1117, or by email at amurray@stjohncenter.org.

To include a gift to SJC, ask your estate planning attorney to add this suggested wording to your will or living trust.

I give, devise, and bequeath to the St. John Center, a nonprofit with principal offices at 700 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd. <<insert gift>> for the use and benefit of <<where do you want your impact to go?>>.

Wish List

• blankets

• adult winter gloves and hats
• men’s underwear
• hand warmers

You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details.  For more information, contact Jim at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.   

Sheehan Landing

In December, we’ve reached financial closing of Sheehan Landing! This means we can begin construction on these 80 fully-subsidized permanent supportive housing units for our clients.

We’re grateful for the financial assistance provided through the American Rescue Plan, HUD special allocation funds, as well as Louisville Metro Housing Authority for the subsidies provided allowing us to provide rental assistance for tenants. 

Construction will break ground thanks to LDG Development, LLC, US Bank, and Enterprise Housing Credit Investments. Additionally, we are thankful for the ongoing partnership and support of the Coalition for the Homeless.

We can’t wait to see this project come to life and welcome residents into stable, secure, long-term housing complete with case management, crisis management, mental/physical health assistance, as well as a host of other services. Sheehan Landing is a dream come true! Learn more about Sheehan Landing below. 

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December 2023

Season of Giving

At St. John Center, we are surrounded by gifts and giving.  Volunteers hand guests clean, new socks and underwear which are gifts made possible by people throughout our community.  Often, a guest will enter with a gift in hand for a staff member or volunteer who helped him recently. Something as simple as a card, or note, even a small stuffed animal.

On the most exciting days, St. John Center provides a plastic laundry basket filled with new towels, cleaning supplies, simple dishes, pillows, pots and pans to accompany a new set of apartment keys. These “move in baskets” are also gifts from our community given to people moving home for good. 

And there is the gift of being part of a community of care and support. These daily, active gifts are less tangible, but deeply felt.  Thank you for your support, which makes every day at St. John Center the season of giving.  

Remembering Our Lost Friends

Every year, St. John Center holds a simple memorial service. We gather to remember the people in our community we’ve lost in the last year. We hear their names read aloud inside this old church building and remember the importance and dignity of their lives. Join us on Thursday, December 21st at 9AM! Please see list below of those we have lost this year.

Raisin’ the Rent 2024

Tickets for Raisin’ the Rent 2024 go on sale January 15th!  Join us as we return to an in-person event at Mellwood Arts Center on Saturday, March 2nd at 6:30p.  Tickets will be $75 and will include heavy appetizers, open bar and open seating. Reserved tables may be purchased for $1,000. Guests will enjoy games, the bourbon and wine pull, our traditional silent auction, raffles, live auction and good company! Learn more at the link below. Sponsorships are available. 

Wish List

• bleach for laundry

• coffee and sugar

• handwarmers/hot hands

• winter hats/toboggans

• adult winter gloves

You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details.  For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.   

St. John Center Monthly Giving Circle

When you join the Monthly Giving Circle, you become part of the sustaining structure of our work. You allow us to allocate resources where they are most needed all year long – because we know we can count on you month after month. You can join the Monthly Giving Circle in two different ways:

• Checking or Savings Account
  (Best method)
• Credit or Debit Card

Sign up by clicking here! For more information, please contact Ashley by clicking here. 

Our Contact Information
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November 2023

This Thanksgiving, Your Impact on Making Housinga Right

is the Reason We’re Thankful

November centers around Thanksgiving in our hearts and Thanksgiving as a holiday. Thanksgiving the holiday carries symbols of family, friends, and food, while Thanksgiving in our hearts is not always seen on the surface. We offer our services with a thankful heart -- it sure feels good to put smiles on people’s faces and see that visual of their thankful hearts in return.
 
St. John Center is a hub of gratitude. 

Every day, we are grateful to see the faces of volunteers who join us to welcome the people who come to the Day Shelter and provide them with basic services. We are grateful for the community that sustains this work by providing gifts and grants of financial support. Finally, we are grateful to be a place where people seeking help find the support they need to move home. 

Each time we hand someone a set of keys and a move-in basket, we are awash in gratitude for the community of support that made such a moment possible. Last year, 257 people moved home for good. We are grateful indeed!

Welcome New Staff

Please help us welcome Destinee, LMHA Case Manager with the Permanent Supportive Housing Team. Welcome to the SJC family! 

Wish List

• winter gloves-multipack

• mini toiletries/spray deodorant

• scarves
• handwarmers
• water

You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. 

For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.   

Sister Kathleen Sheehan Society

Planning your estate allows you to provide for your loved ones and the organizations that matter most to you. To learn more about including the St. John Center in your estate plan, contact Ashley Murray at (502) 585-3291, ext. 1117, or by email at amurray@stjohncenter.org.

To include a gift to SJC, ask your estate planning attorney to add this suggested wording to your will or living trust.

I give, devise, and bequeath to the St. John Center, a nonprofit with principal offices at 700 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd. <<insert gift>> for the use and benefit of <<where do you want your impact to go?>>. 

Our Contact Information
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October 2023

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week is an annual program in November where people come together across the country to draw attention to the problems of hunger and homelessness. We will observe this week November 11-18. This incredible week was first held at Villanova University in 1975. This past year more than 750 community groups, faith-based groups, colleges, and high schools across the country came together during the week to raise awareness about the pressing issue of hunger and homelessness.
No one should have to worry about whether they will have food on their plate or a roof over their head. But the reality is that hunger and homelessness are widespread problems that affect far too many people. At St. John Center (SJC), we are on a mission to help people experiencing homelessness address the barriers to housing and self-sufficiency so they can leave homelessness for good.

With the support of this community, we’ve been providing resources and services for those experiencing homelessness in the Louisville area since 1986. Our vision is a city where all people experiencing homelessness have the resources and support, they need to leave homelessness for good.

How can you bring awareness and advocacy during this week and year-round? 
•    Become a volunteer at SJC or other housing first agencies
•    Host a drive to collect items needed for guests in the day shelter at SJC
•    Make a donation of any amount to support Street Outreach and Permanent Supportive Housing at SJC
•    Write to your elected officials asking for their support in reform that supports Housing First for lower-barrier individuals

Welcome New Staff

Please help us welcome Kirbey Bruce, PSH Case Manager with the Permanent Supportive Housing  Team. Welcome to the SJC family! 

Congratulations, Dawn! Dawn was voted 20 People to Know in Nonprofits from Louisville Business First. Here is the link to her article. 

Wish List

• Winter gloves-multipack

• mini toiletries/spray deodorant

• scarves
• handwarmers
• water

You may also consult the Amazon wish list or visit our website for more details. 

For more information, contact Jim Fulkerson at jfulkerson@stjohncenter.org or 502-398-3505.   

THANK YOU for a successful Give For Good 

With your help, we not only met that goal but doubled it, finishing the day with over $40,650 from 247 gifts. 

Our 2023 Give for Good campaign was the most successful ever seen in SJC's history, and we absolutely could not have done it without the support of our donors. 

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