L.O.U. Executive Director David Smillie has been a veteran of street outreach in Louisville for about eight years, meeting people where they are, connecting them with resources and providing a variety of support. And with a projected opening date in January, L.O.U. will have a new home, right across the street from The Table at 1801 Portland Avenue, in a handsomely remodeled job thanks to their partnership with Promise Housing Plus, who also has ties to the Table and strong roots in the Portland community. The two-story building will serve as a homebase for a rotating cast of service providers, with a mini clinic as well as a meeting room, kitchen space, and shower facility.
David has been working out of The Table for about a year and a half, and has worked with 450 people, either directly or by referral, depending on whatever need is there. The concept behind the new building was an outgrowth of a series of weekly facilitating programs.
“We did events every third Monday,” he said. “Resource providers came, and it was a one-stop shop, and not just for the homeless. VA (Veterans’ Affairs) visited every month, Solutions Health, Shawnee Christian Mobile Health, Passport Health, Common Assessment (Family Health Center), Seven Counties.”
The providers deal with healthcare, recovery, connections with insurance, food stamps, housing, and harm reduction, David said. “The new building has a shower. Access to hygiene is the most important need. There’s no public shower west of 2nd street. We can also help with a reasonable amount of laundry.”
L.O.U. Started as primarily street outreach, but david said he spends most of his days establishing identities, social security, id cards, driver’s licenses, and just helping people “try to figure out what’s next. We try to mitigate harm, whatever that looks like. We’re not just serving Portland, but all over the city, and it’s built on trust: you don’t make promises you can’t keep. If needs change we can adjust.”
David said he receives mail for 150 people, so the new building will also have a mailroom upstairs. The property also has a side lot with an opportunity to develop a community garden.
David grew up in Louisville (and “lived in just about every neighborhood in town”) and fell into social work about eight years ago when he himself was at a crossroads. “I remember sitting on the belvedere, not sure what my next move was going to be,” he said. He remembered Gratitude House, a home on 26th and Chestnut Street “for homeless men who wanted to stay sober. There was no rent, but you had to volunteer and give service to others. The owner was homeless for five years and wanted to help those who helped him.”
David notes that the new building is not a shelter, and that L.O.U. will be open from 9AM to 4PM on Monday through Thursday. You can find out more about their “refuge for daily needs and human dignity” at www.lououtreach.org.
