Emergency Shelter
The Emergency Shelter operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and houses adult men experiencing homelessness. The shelter can house up to 200 men each night, with increased capacity during the winter months. Men are provided with a place to stay, bath and laundry facilities, as well as basic care items and clothing.
The facility is also home to the Dr. Gordon Hyde Hope Health Clinic, our Social Services caseworkers, and the Employment Program (see more below). Hot meals are served to all Emergency Shelter clients just down the road at the Jacobs Hope Cafeteria (see more below).
The Dr. Gordon Hyde Hope Health Clinic operates out of the Emergency Shelter and is run by our partners at HealthFirst Bluegrass. They provide basic medical care to our clients, with or without insurance, as well as serving as a primary health clinic to members of the public.
The Hope Center has caseworkers on our team to help provide social services to our clients based on their needs and personal circumstances. This can include assistance with housing, healthcare and insurance, securing identification and other necessary personal documents, transportation, finances, nutrition, and counseling. Our Social Services program is flexible and innovative and will also link clients to other partner agencies and programs in town that can help meet their needs in the best way possible.
The Employment Program offers participating clients support to enter and remain in the workforce.This includes employment training opportunities, transportation to interviews and orientations, resume and referral assistance, higher education information, and access to a computer, phone, and fax. Our team has established working relationships with a number of employers and employment agencies. In keeping with a philosophy of personal responsibility, the program does not find a job for a client, but rather supports the client’s efforts to find gainful employment.
The Jacobs Hope Cafeteria serves three hot meals a day to our Emergency Shelter clients, with dinner also being open to all food insecure individuals of the public. Our staff prepare and cook the meals, and we utilize volunteers to serve those meals to our clients. If you are interested in volunteering, check out the Volunteer page under How You Can Help.
The HopeMobile is a custom motorhome that houses our Mobile Outreach Team, which includes a nurse and caseworker. They park at a different downtown location each weekday to provide basic needs, including food, water, and basic healthcare, to any individual in need who seeks their services. This program is designed to meet people where they are and provide immediate assistance, as well as referrals to the Hope Center or one of our partners to provide additional support depending on the individual’s circumstances.
The HopeMobile is parked at the following locations from 7:30AM-1:30PM each weekday:
- Mondays – Calvary Baptist Church, 150 E. High St.
- Tuesdays – Woodland Christian Church, 530 E. High St.
- Wednesdays – Maxwell St. Presbyterian Church, 180 Maxwell St.
- Thursdays & Fridays – Broadway Christian Church, 187 N. Broadway
The Hope Center’s Street Outreach Team works with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s Office of Homeless Prevention and Intervention to reach individuals in the community who are homeless and not utilizing housing in one of the available shelters. They go out in the streets of Lexington every day to meet people where they are and provide assistance. Whether it be providing essential items, getting someone into shelter, or referring them to another program or agency, the goal is to build relationships and work through the barriers that led to their homelessness.
