St. Vincent DePaul breaks ground on $10.6 million expansion

L to R: Tim Condon, director of corporate strategy, Brown-Forman Corp.; Roger Leonard, Louisville Field Office Director, HUD; Jerry Abramson, Mayor of Louisville; James A. Hillebrand, president, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.; Ed Wnorowski, executive director, St. Vincent de Paul Louisville; Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Archdiocese of Louisville; David Tandy, Metro Council 4th district representative; Tammy Stansbury, business development manager, Kentucky Housing Corp.; and John Poole, vice chair, St. Vincent de Paul board of directors.

St. Vincent de Paul has broken ground on its $10.6 million expansion on Kentucky Street between Jackson and Preston streets, along the northern edge of its existing campus.

The expansion of the non-profit, which helps the poor and homeless, includes 54 new low-income housing units, which will include apartments for homeless women and families, according to a news release.

Other components of the project will be a Family Success Center offering childrens programming in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Kentuckiana, according to the release.

The project also includes an Education, Training and Counseling Center, where professional case management will be offered to existing clients and new residents. Educational classes, such as budgeting and GED courses, will be open to everyone in the community.

Construction of the new apartments is being funded by a U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant administered through the Kentucky Housing Corporation.

Two local corporations –Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. and Brown-Forman Corporation–will receive federal low-income housing tax credits as equity partners in the $6.3 million housing portion of the overall project.

Abel Construction Co. is the general contractor for the apartments. Luckett and Farley Architects is the architect.

Among those making remarks at Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony were:

• Ed Wnorowski: executive director of St. Vincent de Paul, Louisville
• John Poole: vice chair, St. Vincent de Paul board of directors
• James A. Hillebrand, president, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co.
• Tim Condon, director of corporate strategy, Brown-Forman Corp.
• David Tandy, Louisville Metro Council 4th district representative
• Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson; and
• Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, of the Archdiocese of Louisville.

The new housing augments St. Vincent de Paul’s array of other social services. The Open Hand Kitchen at 1026 S. Jackson St. serves two meals a day—365 days a year—to anyone in need. St. Vincent de Paul’s six homeless shelter/housing programs have been operating at capacity on the campus for many years.

One of the oldest nonprofit charitable organizations in Louisville, St. Vincent de Paul has been serving the poor and homeless in Louisville since 1853. For more information, visit www.svdplou.org.