Louisville's Coalition for the Homeless says more people used its shelters in 2007 than in the previous year, and officials are seeing more children at those facilites.Coalition Executive Director Marlene Gordon says the number of people who sought help jumped by 324 last year."We served 11,257 men women and children in our 27 shelters. this is ten percent more than the population ofBardstown, Kentucky," she said.There was a sharp increase in the number of children accompanying parents to shelters: 1651 last year, almost double the previous year's number.Gordon says 19% of adults seeking homeless services had jobs, but couldn't find affordable housing.There continues to be a large number of homeless who suffer from mental illness or are battling substance abuse.Gordon says there is positive trend in one category; the number of homeless veterans has steadily declined since 2005.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.