Opening Doors │ March
Mar 29, 2025
March Newsletter
Good morning, sunshine! If you’ve ever been greeted by me, you’ve probably heard this before—but today, I’m especially excited to say it because Spring is here, and Summer is on its way! More sunshine, more warmth and more bright moments ahead.
March was nothing short of incredible. Our shelter was buzzing with volunteer groups, we cheered through the annual charity volleyball match between NDA and Cov Cath, and—perhaps the biggest glimmer of all—our Homeless to Hopeful Gala on March 13 was completely SOLD OUT for the first time ever! Seeing over 250 people in the audience, alongside our ESNKY VIP staff table, was nothing short of magical. It was the best one yet, and guess what? Planning has already begun for the next one! Mark your calendars—Wednesday, March 12, 2026 is officially booked!
But above all the celebrations, our mission remains at the heart of everything. Every single day—24/7/365—we continue to serve our guests. That’s why we do what we do. The winter months brought an outpouring of volunteers, and we’ve loved seeing so many of you step up to provide meals and support. Homelessness doesn’t end when winter does, and we hope your generosity doesn’t either. Let’s keep the momentum going!
With grace & gratitude,
Kim M. Webb
Executive Director
Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky
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Homeless to Hopeful Results
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year's Homeless to Hopeful event! We welcomed our first-ever sold-out crowd, and as we were celebrated our Life Saving, Life Changing mission, the shelter was full as well with guests who accessed overnight shelter, an evening meal, showers, laundry and peer support.
The glimmers continued in the morning, as guests got up, ate breakfast, and many went to work or visited community partner agencies, and more guests came into access daytime shower and laundry and the Navigation & Engagement Center.
While we are still tallying final numbers, we are confident that we exceeded our fundraising goal of $125,000. Thank you to all of our sponsors, contributors and committee members who gave their time, talent and treasure to help us reach this ambitious goal, especially our presenting sponsor, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, and the winner of the March Madness Bourbon Raffle, Julie Ackley!
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Calling All Volunteers
Did you know that volunteers provided over 10,000 hours of service last year?
Volunteers make their mark on the shelter and its guests every day. Join us to celebrate your hard work! Our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner will be held on Thursday, April 24 from 6 to 8 pm at the Florence Nature Center. We hope to see you there!
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Summer Shelter and Services Begin April 1
We say goodbye to winter cold shelter and begin the change to summer services and programs. The only change is that beginning April 1st, overnight shelter switches to men only until November 1st when the cold shelter reopens. Daytime services continue to support all adults, which include shower and laundry, the Navigation & Engagement Center, the daytime healthcare clinic, mail services and more.
Why do we make this annual transition? Across the county, two-thirds of all adults experiencing homelessness are a single person with no dependents, and 78% are men (with a recent 8% annual increase according to national data). With very limited bed and service capacity in our community, due in part to a lack of state and federal funding, ESNKY prioritizes the population most vulnerable to homelessness, single adult men. We will continue to refer to shelters in our region that serve women, support via our Street Outreach Coordinator and help anyone who needs help while always giving them a voice and choice in accessing services.
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More Ways to Give
Thank you for supporting the Emergency Shelter of Northern Kentucky! Please consider including ESNKY when making gifts from your Donor Advised Fund or IRA Charitable Distributions. For more information, contact Development Manager Zak Draznin at zak.draznin@esnky.net.
