'At the breaking point': Deaths of two homeless people prompt calls for change
Two people have died from hypothermia in Jefferson County, sending shockwaves of grief through Louisville's homeless advocacy community and prompting calls for change.
In a Tuesday press conference, Gov. Andy Beshear confirmed a man and a woman who may have been homeless "appeared to have died from hypothermia," adding them to the death toll from Kentucky's recent floods.
At a separate press conference, Mayor Craig Greenberg did not address the deaths, but said the city's Homeless Service Division is continuing to provide services to unhoused residents while removing encampments. Greenberg said the number of Metro 311 calls about homeless camps has dropped 77% from 2023 to 2025, signaling progress in the city's efforts combat homelessness.
'Two years ago when I first became mayor, we had an urgent problem that was getting worse," Greenberg said. "Encampments were creating dangerous situations — dangerous for the people who were living on our streets and dangerous for the people using our sidewalks.'
Local outreach advocates, however, say Greenberg's data is misleading, and camp clearings make life exceedingly difficult for those living on the streets — especially in extreme weather conditions.
Although shelters are open to anyone during white flag operations, they aren't always a viable option for many living on the street. Christen 'Tiny' Herron, founder of The Forgotten Louisville, said people experiencing homelessness may have pets, struggle with substance abuse issues or fear losing their belongings — all things that contribute to the choice to stay outdoors, even in harsh weather.
'There's also the concern for the safety for people inside emergency shelters,' Herron said. 'That's the number one reason why people tell me they will not go into emergency shelter is because they feel unsafe.'
David Smillie, executive director for Louisville Outreach for the Unsheltered, said the number of frostbite cases among the unhoused this year has been 'massive and dramatic,' something he believes is in part due to the enforcement of the Safer Kentucky Act, which requires officers to issue citations for street camping and camping paraphernalia.
'One of the main issues that we're seeing is that with the enforcement of House Bill 5, people are being pushed further and further into hiding to avoid citation and potential arrests, which makes it more and more difficult for the numerous grassroots outreach organizations to find them and to reach them and to provide them with necessary supplies to try and avoid injury, and in these incredibly tragic circumstances, death,' Smillie said.
Herron said camp clearings not only force unhoused people into hiding but also cut them off from resources.
'We have a hub of houseless service resources in downtown Louisville, but we don't have that hub anywhere else in our city,' Herron said. 'So as we push people further and further and further out, the less services they're getting.'
Tara Bassett, an advocate for the unhoused, said when camps are cleared, many people lose important documentation needed to receive services, like IDs or birth certificates, along with items that can save lives when temperatures drop, like tents, winter clothing and sleeping bags.
'Everything that's left behind and not guarded constantly is in constant peril of being swept,' Bassett said. 'So it's just a constant replenishing, and it's impossible to do mass serves to groups of people because nobody can stay in one place. They have to be moving constantly.'
With weeks of frigid temperatures this year, outreach groups have kicked into overdrive to provide resources and services. In the wake of the hypothermia deaths, some feel their efforts are never enough.
'We're all at the breaking point,' Bassett said.
With temperatures predicted to drop throughout the week, advocates are asking community members to consider supporting grassroots organizations and look out for unhoused residents. If someone is spotted sleeping outdoors in extreme conditions, attempt to wake them or call an outreach group for help, the advocates said.
'They're human beings with families,' Bassett said. 'They are somebody's son, somebody's daughter, somebody's mother, brother, uncle, grandparent.'
Smillie said outreach groups are continuing to work together to provide services, despite the pain and frustration many are feeling after the loss of two individuals.
'We're all talking to each other,' Smille said. 'We're going try and cover as much ground geographically and utilize our resources as best we can to try and prevent this from happening again. I just fear that we will see more.'
Reach reporter Keely Doll at kdoll@courierjournal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Two homeless people die from hypothermia in Louisville
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