Louisville Metro Council approved new regulations Tuesday night for churches and other religious institutions looking to open homeless shelters.
Supporters say the new licensing requirements for what are called “accessory overnight shelters” aim to protect the health and safety of the people who will use the services while recognizing the city’s need for more shelter capacity, especially during winter.
The new rules require staff or volunteers to be on-site during all hours of operation. Shelters will also have to provide emergency evacuation plans and open their spaces up for inspections.
Metro Council Member Betsy Ruhe, whose district includes the Beechmont, Iroquois and Kenwood neighborhoods, said officials took the existing homeless shelter “description and licensing requirements and eased them.”
“It’s very difficult to conceive of somebody who’s going to volunteer at the shelter for a night, maybe a couple nights, and then require they have tuberculosis testing,” she said ahead of the meeting. “For a volunteer for a night or two, things like that just don’t seem realistic.”
Ruhe, a District 21 Democrat, sponsored the new license requirements. She also co-sponsored an ordinance in September that codified a new, simpler process for businesses and institutions wanting to open their doors during severe weather events.
The effort came after the city unexpectedly shut down The StrEatery Food Hall last year for operating a warming shelter without proper approvals. Advocates for people experiencing homelessness said government red tape was preventing them from providing life-saving resources.
One program that dealt with Louisville Metro’s confusing previous regulations is Room in the Inn.
Last year, the program offered overnight shelter and warm meals to homeless women and children at Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral downtown. Volunteers from more than a dozen local congregations served about 40 people from January to late February.
Rev. Matthew Bradley, dean of Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral, went back and forth with city planners in the weeks before launching Room in the Inn last season, trying to figure out which approvals were needed. The program ultimately received a change of use permit five days before opening the church doors.
Bradley said this year, as Room in the Inn plans to expand to a second location in Butchertown, he appreciates the city providing concrete rules and regulations. The only difficulty is the timing. The program is set to open Jan. 1.
"I think the city has made an effort to balance the public safety needs and the ability of programs like Room in the Inn to operate,” Bradley said. “We'll see how that works in practice soon."
Initially, city officials told Bradley and LPM News the program was going to have to apply for a standard shelter license.
The requirements, which are meant for full-scale, permanent shelters run by nonprofits, include tuberculosis vaccines and criminal background checks for every employee. Bradley said it just wouldn’t be possible for Room in the Inn to meet those regulations.
“This is a small, volunteer-based program,” he said. “We’re looking to meet a very specific need for shelter over the winter. It’s really an extension of hospitality ministry. We’re not trying to become a miniature Salvation Army.”
Now, under the new rules approved by Metro Council, only Room in the Inn’s few permanent employees will need criminal background checks. Volunteers who work directly with children may also need to submit a background check if they want to volunteer multiple times.
The tuberculosis immunization requirements won’t apply to accessory overnight shelters and neither will requirements that the programs keep the Social Security numbers of staff on-site.
Room in the Inn and any other religious institutions looking to open an overnight shelter still needs to comply with staffing rules, post CPR instructions and complete all inspections.
Bradley said he’s hopeful his program can institute any necessary changes and get approval in the coming weeks.
