Another Way Program and Hotel Inc. work on K-Count

WARREN COUNTY, Ky. – Another Way Program and Hotel Inc. joined together by going out into unhoused communities and counting the number of unhoused people within Warren County, all while making an effort to connect on a deeper level.

Karen Foley, the executive director of Hotel Inc., tells us, “It’s really important to meet people where they are, because we know people have a lot of obstacles accessing services, and no matter how well-intended those services are, a core value that we have is to try to meet people where they are. And that means physically as well.”

Bringing the resources like hats, non-perishable foods and toiletries directly to people not only provides aid to those who need it most, it also tells people that they are cared for and seen.

Kris York, Another Way outreach specialist, says, “I think it’s very important that we don’t forget about people. Because when we forget about people, we’re forgetting about someone’s daughter, someone’s father, someone’s sister, someone’s mother. You know, so when we, we have to realize that these people need love, just like everyone else needs love.”

Many of these locations are hidden in plain sight, you may drive or walk past these locations daily, and some people want the help they just don’t know how to ask.

Foley also says, “In an effort to overcome transportation barriers and stigma, and some other things. And, certainly, the work that Chris does every day, is a big part of that. And, ultimately, this collective effort, to find people, to count them, to extend some resources to them as part of our overall effort.”

By working together, and reaching the unhoused population various organizations across Kentucky are able to extend needed resources that go beyond physical necessities.

York shares, “We were putting in them with love. And so when you receive something like that, you’re not only receiving, like crackers or snacks or blankets or whatever. You’re receiving something with love. And so when we realize that these people need that, and when they see that, they feel like someone cares about them or someone loves them again, and that’s very important.”