ESNKY Welcomes KYOAAC

The Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky (ESNKY) recently welcomed members of the Kentucky Opioid Abatement Advisory Commission (KYOAAC) for a tour and discussion on the intersection of homelessness and substance use disorder in Northern Kentucky. 

Commission staff and student interns toured ESNKY’s community-based, trauma-informed programs, including the overnight Emergency Shelter, Work Program, RISE, Daytime Navigation and Engagement Center, Shower and Laundry Program, and onsite Healthcare Clinic. They met with frontline staff to better understand how ESNKY delivers care in a harm-reduction model, meeting each guest where they are, without requiring sobriety, documentation, or participation in long-term programming. 

For many adults in active use or crisis, ESNKY is the “first door” that welcomes and accepts them, providing much-needed services and human dignity. Guests arrive at ESNKY after living unsheltered in cars, encampments, or public spaces, or after being evicted or discharged from hospitals, treatment centers, or correctional facilities. Guests are welcomed immediately and connected with services designed to support autonomy, safety, and health. ESNKY provides shelter, meals, hygiene care, support from trained peer support trained advocates, clinical, and community partners who understand addiction and recovery. 

The visit follows the Commission’s award of $239,961 in opioid abatement funding to support ESNKY’s critical night-by-night shelter and wraparound services for adults with substance use disorder in Northern Kentucky. These funds help sustain our model, which fills a growing gap in Kentucky’s continuum of care - providing immediate safety and connection for people who are often excluded from traditional shelter or housing systems. 

Photo Caption: 
Back row (L to R): Curtis Edwards, Program Manager, ESNKY; Van Ingram, Executive Director, Kentucky Office of Drug Control Policy; Ollie Fegenbush, Intern, KYOAAC; Ethan Skolnick, Intern, KYOAAC; Kim M. Webb, Chief Executive Officer, ESNKY. Front row (L to R): Anderson Jones, Intern, KYOAAC; Kelsey Thomas, Engagement and Advancement Specialist, KYOAAC; Hallie Mattingly, Grant Specialist, KYOAAC. 

For more information about ESNKY’s programs or to support this work, visit www.emergencyshelternky.org or contact (859) 291-4555.