Louisville Kentucky Area Salvation Army Assistance Programs
Emergency assistance from the Salvation Army can help families stay in their homes, provide free food, pay for utility bills or rent, and distribute clothing to Louisville Kentucky families who are in need of help. There are also free seasonal programs in the region and Jefferson County, ranging from Christmas toys from Adopt a Family or Angel Tree and free school supplies for students as well as winter coats.
Most applicants will need to meet low income and poverty guidelines, be faced with an emergency not of their creation, and be able to regain self-sufficiency in short order. A summary of the resources offered, as well as phone numbers and addresses, are below.
The Food Box Program can help people who are overwhelmed with other bills and expenses. For example, many Jefferson County Kentucky families are faced with making the difficult decision of paying their rent or bills in order to keep a roof over their heads, or buying food to feed their children. The Salvation Army Food Box Program is there to help lower income families with children who cannot afford groceries.
A Community Kitchen is also located at some sites. It can prepare and serves hundreds of nutritious meals every day to people in the community, and the kitchen is open to anyone who needs help or a meal. Healthy ingredients are used in all meals and food served. People of all backgrounds stop by for help.
The Salvation Army Serves Displaced Men Women And Children 365 Days A Year Through:
Homeless Shelters
For those with no place to go or in need of emergency shelter, local Salvation Army homeless shelters provide a warm, safe place for men, women, and whenever possible families to stay. In cities where we do not operate homeless shelters, we offer financial assistance to cover emergency overnight housing costs or refer those facing housing and food insecurity to partner programs with emergency shelter services.
Even during a pandemic, our homeless shelters evolved and innovated to serve their neighbors in need despite the ongoing challenges. Check out the internationally recognized efforts of The Salvation Army of Marquette County Michigans successful efforts to keep people fed and sheltered when the public transit system was shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Transitional Housing
Our transitional housing programs offer hope to the temporarily displaced, chronically homeless population, and many young adults who have aged out of the foster care system. For those experiencing a recent eviction, domestic breakup, addiction issue, or any other housing crisis, our temporary shelters provide homeless individuals with food and lodging while equipping them with the resources and support needed to regain stability.
Permanent Supportive Housing
Re-Entry Resources
Serving All Without Discrimination
Salvation Army Louisville In Need Of 400 Bell Ringers This Holiday Season
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LOUISVILLE, Ky.
The Salvation Army is in need of your help and time this holiday season.
On Breckenridge lane, outside the Hobby Lobby, Jimmy Young has his routine. It involves a lot of smiling, greetings and bell ringing.
“I love the people, I love the atmosphere, I love to see the mindset of people today,” Young told WLKY.
Young plays a critical role in so many families being able to smile this holiday season, as he helps raise donations for the Salvation Army. The money helps local families with clothes, food and toys for Christmas. Young has volunteered since 2003.
“It gets me out of the cage called an apartment. It keeps me stagnant, plus I love interacting with people. It’s just that simple and I love being out,” Young said.
But this year, the Salvation Army needs around 400 more bell ringers. In years past, there have been around 90 locations where they set up to raise donations, but this year it will be around 50.
“It’s just difficult to hire people to ring during the season,” said Capt. Jimmy Parrish with the Salvation Army.
He says while they’re working with less, there’s more of a need. There’s been a 30% increase for requests from the Salvation Army. The money raised within the next eight weeks goes a long way.
“The Salvation Army has a shelter 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. We’re feeding people, sheltering people, helping people in need,” Parrish told WLKY.
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Louisville Salvation Army Prepared For Incoming Cold Snap
LOUISVILLE, Ky. â By Friday morning, it will feel like it’s 20 degrees below zero â weather that can quickly become dangerous and even deadly. Itâs why shelters, like the Salvation Army, are gearing up ahead of the cold.
What You Need To Know
- A cold front will bring a steep drop in temperatures by Friday
- Frostbite in the forecasted conditions can set in within an hour
- Shelters in Louisville will be open to anyone needing a place to sleep
- The Salvation Army, Wayside Christian and Saint Vincent de Paul will be accepting people
Capt. Jimmy Parrish is the commander of the Louisville Area Salvation Army. He said theyâve got around 300 beds at their facility, but with it already so cold, there isnât many that are available.
âIf you need a place to stay, obviously by six p.m. you need to come down, get in line, sign up, so we can get you in here,â Parrish said.
Parrish adds he expects the facility to be at capacity by the end of the week. Once they run out of room, the organization works with the Coalition for the Homeless to find open beds at other shelters.
âIt will be at capacity, we assume, at the end of the week and this weekend and so we will make sure that we have somewhere for somebody to sleep,â Parrish said.
âWe are going to be working with counties to set up warming centers so everybody has a place to go if they need it, and folks be careful,â Beshear said.
Parrish added this is far from the first cold snap the Salvation Army has dealt with.
About The Salvation Army Louisville

The Salvation Army Louisville, located in Louisville, KY, is a branch office of the Christian non-profit Salvation Army, whose mission emphasizes aiding the poor and people in need. The Salvation Army offers human services through its programs, including disaster relief and public emergency services, while taking an evangelical approach. In Jefferson County, the Salvation Army also runs stores that sell used goods.
You may contact the Salvation Army for questions about:
- Louisville Salvation Army stores and locations
- Making donations and volunteering
- Children and elderly care programs
- Disaster relief and emergency preparedness
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Frigid Temps Raise White Flag At Louisville Homeless Shelters
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – As temperatures dipped well below freezing, three Louisville shelters worked to get as many homeless people as possible into a warm place to sleep.
Shelters operated by Wayside Christian Mission, St. Vincent DePaul and the Salvation Army launched Operation White Flag, indicating the shelters would not turn away anyone seeking refuge from the cold.
We have floor mats that we use along with the blankets and linens and so forth, Nina Moseley, Chief Operating Officer for Wayside Christian Mission said. And we set those up in the dining room for the men. We set them up in the TV room upstairs for women and the family members. So we just know if the weather is like this, were going to make safe, were going to adjust and were going to do everything we can to keep them safe.
Moseley said 36 people came in from out of the cold at the Wayside shelter.
It was the first major cold event in the city this season. But it still wasnt cold enough to get everyone inside.
On Friday afternoon, several people could still be seen bundled up and camped out in the usual locations downtown.
Moseley said the shelter views a White Flag event as an opportunity to provide more long term help if the person is interested.
They may only come in in extreme weather, Moseley said. And while theyre here, we do our best to make sure theyre healthy, to encourage them and hopefully to get them to a point to where theyll want to stay in.
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Operation White Flag In Effect At Louisville Homeless Shelters During Dangerous Cold
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dangerously cold temperatures make Louisville’s homeless population vulnerable.
Operation White Flag goes into effect when the temperature or the wind chill is below 35 degrees. That means anyone needing shelter can stay at the participating shelters while weather conditions persist.
At a city news conference Thursday, Susan Buchino, the director of the Office of Resilience and Community Services, said Louisville’s unsheltered population needs to come inside through the weekend.
“White Flag is in operation, and shelters are prepared to put people in every space and make sure we are getting people inside,” Buchino said. “Since Monday, outreach teams have been communicating with anyone unsheltered. This is serious, and we will help get people inside.”
Buchino said they are making an effort to provide transportation for anyone who needs a place to ride out the cold weather.
“Vans are traveling around the city with outreach teams today trying to make sure they are transporting people to shelter,” she said. “TARC has agreed to be helpful, and if you need a ride or need transportation to a shelter, find a TARC bus. They can take you to a shelter free of charge.”
- Wayside Christian Mission , 432 E. Jefferson St., 502-742-7019
- Vincent de Paul , 1034 S. Jackson St., 502-584-2480 ext. 241
- The Salvation Army , 911 S. Brook St., 502-671-4904
- 176 Frank E. Simon, Shepherdsville, KY
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Louisville Salvation Army Shelter Implements Charge For Homeless Families
The local Salvation Army chapter in Louisville, Kentucky, is drawing fire from advocates for the homeless for charging homeless families a fee if they stay at its shelter for more than a week, the Associated Press reports.
Under the new policy, families are allowed to stay in the twelve-family shelter for seven nights without charge, but beyond that must pay $5 a night at the door and meet with a counselor to discuss becoming self-sufficient. According to local Salvation Army officials, the fee is meant to pull people, some of whom have been staying at the shelter for months, out of homelessness. Families who are unable to pay the fee will be allowed to earn free nights at the shelter if they can demonstrate they are working to improve their lives. In addition, the shelter will continue to make exceptions for the disabled and mentally ill.
The new policy has angered some advocates for the homeless. “It’s something we don’t agree to,” said Donald Whitehead, executive director of the Washington, D.C.-based National Coalition for the Homeless. Whitehead and officials at the national Salvation Army told the AP that they knew of no other shelters nationwide that charge families, although some charge individuals.
Our Doors Are Always Open
last year, The Salvation Army provided over 52,770 nights of shelter to those in need
Our doors are always open to women & children without a place to call home.
Sometimes life doesnt turn out how we planned. Our emergency shelter for women and children can help. Our emergency shelter provides the safety and security of 24 hour housing and three meals per day. Services like on-site life skill classes, job training, and health care give women the resources they need to build a self-sufficient future.
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