23-04-2025
Madison County advocates for emergency shelter funding on ‘National Day of Action'
MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (FOX 56) — On Tuesday, advocates rallied nationwide and at the Capitol in Washington, D.C., demanding sustainable solutions for the chronic issue of homelessness.
Organizations in Madison County are fighting for their unhoused population and say elected officials are focused on solutions that worsen the crisis.
Michael Harrington, with the Madison County Tenants Union, said he works daily with dozens of people who don't have a place to sleep at night. He explained that homelessness is a crisis anyone can fall into.
'If we lose our jobs and are not able to pay the rent, what are we supposed to do?' he asked.
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Shelbi Poole said Up Initiative is the only place in Berea where the unhoused can go for a free place to eat, shower, and do laundry, but it's unable to provide an overnight shelter.
'There's no funds for those types of things in this type of work,' said Poole. 'We operate on $200 worth of donations a month from a grant. Everything else has come in from people's hearts.'
With no full-time emergency shelter available, there's no place for the homeless community to go at night without possible repercussions.
Last year, the Safer Kentucky Act was signed into law. It made street camping illegal, meaning people found sleeping in a public place could face fines or jail time.
'As homelessness has become a crime in Kentucky, we cannot tolerate living in a county that says the only solution to homelessness is jail,' said Harrington. 'And the only place that we're allowed to be if we don't have a place to sleep inside is behind bars.
Poole noted that with limited funding and a law like this in place, their hands are tied.
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'It's very hard for us to give somebody a tent to keep them out of the rain when they could go to jail for that tent that we provide them so that they have some sort of roof over their head,' said Poole.
Harrington is advocating for change and building support for emergency shelter services by gathering petition signatures.
He hopes that the fiscal court will step up and prioritize funding for emergency shelters.
'A public service, like an emergency shelter, really needs to be funded with public dollars,' he said. 'So, we want them to match the generosity that we've seen from residents, local congregations, and local businesses.'
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We reached out to the Madison County Judge Executive and a magistrate for a comment but did not hear back.
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