HOTEL Inc expands efforts to address homelessness

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Community members gathered Friday for a First Friday open house hosted by HOTEL INC to learn more about the nonprofit’s work addressing homelessness and supporting the surrounding neighborhood in Bowling Green.

Executive director Karen Foley welcomed guests to the organization’s campus in the city’s historic Delafield neighborhood, highlighting the area’s long history as one of the earliest centers of commerce connected to the Green River.

During the event, Foley shared the history of the organization and outlined its current mission. HOTEL INC, founded in 1981, began as a grassroots effort by local residents who wanted to help people experiencing poverty in practical ways. The nonprofit’s name is an acronym for “Helping Others Through Extending Love in the Name of Christ.”

Today, the organization focuses much of its work on addressing homelessness in Warren County. Foley said the group’s strategy centers on three areas: housing, health and community.

“We are working to end homelessness in Warren County,” Foley said. “That may sound impossible, but it’s our goal.”

One way the organization helps people find stable housing is through navigation services, where staff work one-on-one with individuals to help them navigate housing applications, connect with landlords and locate available units. The group also operates several transitional housing properties that provide short-term housing while residents work toward long-term stability.

Foley said a shortage of available housing in the area makes the process challenging for many residents, especially those with lower incomes.

Along with housing support, HOTEL INC also focuses on health services. The nonprofit operates one of only a few street medicine programs in Kentucky, where volunteer medical professionals provide care to people experiencing homelessness at locations around the city.

The organization also runs a medical respite program that allows individuals recovering from serious medical procedures to stay in a safe place rather than returning to the street. Patients are typically referred by hospitals after procedures or major health events.

During the open house, Foley also announced a recent expansion that will significantly increase the program’s capacity. A renovated property in the neighborhood will expand the medical respite program from three bedrooms to ten, allowing the organization to help more people recovering from illness or surgery.

Foley said the goal of the program is not only to help people recover physically but also to transition them into permanent housing.

“Ultimately it’s important to shelter people, feed people and clothe people,” she said. “But if that’s all we do, they stay in a perpetual cycle of crisis.”

HOTEL INC also supports the surrounding community through programs such as a nonprofit micro-grocery market that provides fresh food from local farms and participates in the state’s Double Dollars program to help residents stretch food assistance benefits.

Foley said partnerships with other organizations and community members are essential to tackling homelessness in the region.

“We must do this in partnership with others,” she said. “It’s not something one organization can solve alone.”

The open house was part of HOTEL INC’s First Friday series, which invites community members to learn more about the organization’s programs and ongoing efforts to serve residents in Bowling Green.