Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky receives bunks, mattresses, thanks to Sule Foundation grant

By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor

The Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky took delivery on 66 new twin mattresses and bunk beds that will sleep 51 residents Tuesday, courtesy of a $17,000 grant from the Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation.

“I am beyond thrilled that the Elsa Heisel Sule Foundation would select ESNKY as a grant recipient and help us provide our guests with a safe and comfortable bed to sleep in,” said Kim Webb, executive director of ESNKY.

Webb

The shipment will allow the Shelter to replace old bunk beds that were falling apart and cloth mattresses with vinyl mattresses with built-in pillows.

The grant request asked for funds to purchase 16 bunk beds, 52 vinyl mattresses and 100 vinyl pillows to replace the existing bedding that is stained and in disrepair.

The low-maintenance, vinyl covered mattresses and pillows are more durable and stain-proof than those that they replace. That bedding required constant care and attention to keep it sanitary for guests.

Thanks to an agreement with the Kentucky Correctional Institute, which makes the bedding, ESNKY was able to purchase more beds than requested and get the mattresses with pillows built in.

The Shelter took delivery on 20 double bunk beds, eight single bunks and one triple bunk, in addition to the new mattresses.

Last year ESNKY served more than 500 men and women.

Bunk beds purchased by the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky with grant funds (photo courtesy of ESNKY).

The average demographic age of guests is 47 years old and some have a litany of medical issues that make sleeping in a top bunk a safety concern. Of the beds that were replaced, 16 did not have ladders mounted on the beds.

“By replacing the current bunk bed frames, we will increase safety for our guests and allow us to have more free standing bed frames, allowing a more comfortable night of sleep,” Webb said. “The funding will increase the durability and longevity of our bedding while minimizing sanitary and safety concerns.”

The ESNKY is commonly referred to as the “cold shelter” because one of its primary functions is to provide safe haven for the homeless during frigid winter months. The Shelter, located on Scott Street in downtown Covington, actually provides services all year long.

“We are currently in full swing mode of our summer life-changing part of our mission,” Webb said. “We currently have 34 guys living in shelter with us. These are guys looking to get into stable housing situations and working their individual case plans.”

That includes getting a job, opening a bank account, learning about monthly management of bills and daily living.

The Shelter has also been able to expand its summer shower-laundry outreach program this year. Last summer the shelter provided the services three-days-a-week, for three hours each day.

This summer, thanks to the purchase of a new washer and dryer, the program has been extended to five-days-a-week, for four hours each day.

“It allows adult homeless men and women to come in and get a shower, get some laundry done,” Webb said. “If we have clothing available, we provide that and we provide a snack if we have food available.”

The success of the ESNKY winter meal program has led to the implementation of a summer calendar meal program. It offers a volunteer opportunity for those with culinary skills to cook for about 25 residents during the summer programming.

“The guys really appreciate after being out working in the community to be able to come here and have dinner and relax in our living area,” Webb said. “This is a place of companionship and one requirement is that guests are required to stay sober. This is a safe haven for them to do that.”

Donations at the shelter slow down during the summer months, because so many people consider ESNKY a cold-weather haven but Webb encourages people to contribute year round.

“It’s important to take care of those living on the streets, or in crisis, in the winter, but the summer is equally as important,” Webb said. “Temperatures get high and we have summer storms, so we still need to meet the needs of our guests. We need clothing, we need financial donations to help with the electric and the water and we always need food.”

The summer program is fairly new, but has already yielded some impressive results.

Last year, 74 of the 100 participants in the summer program got into housing. Of those, 63 remain in stable housing, which amounts to a 74 percent rate, compared to the national average of 34 percent.

For more information on the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky and its programs, click here .