Kentucky River Community Care would like to take this opportunity to address our involvement with

Corner Haven (some:mes referred to as the homeless shelter) and correct some false informa:on that
is circula:ng throughout our community. For those of you that are not aware, KRCCs mission includes
helping the most vulnerable of our popula:on with behavioral health and addic:on issues, supported
employment, trauma, and housing needs. We have been working really hard to be a community partner
to many agencies throughout our region and a community leader on many of the larger issues facing the
ci:zens of Perry County and others.
At KRCC, we operate under what is known as a Housing First philosophy, which means we recognize
that safe, clean, permanent housing is essen:al to a persons well-being, regardless of any other issues
that a person may have. Therefore, we absolutely understand the issue of homelessness and the
aKendant impact that it has on the homeless person and the community. KRCC operates over 100
housing units, manages voucher programs, and assists families in nding housing and remaining housed.
It is with this mission and understanding in mind that several of the Execu:ve Team members at KRCC
watched the saga of Community Ministries and the Corner Haven shelter unfold in the newspaper, on
social media, and through reports to KRCC made by other concerned community leaders and groups. It
is with this mission in mind that those same Execu:ve Team members began discussions with the
recently resigned Execu:ve Director of Community Ministries and members of its Board. Those
discussions began in early December 2016.
These discussions covered many topics of how various grants and debts would be handled, personnel
issues, and of specic importance--where the shelter should be located. AWer the ini:al conversa:on
with Community Ministries, KRCC inspected and evaluated the Corner Haven facility. To say the least, it
was not up to code. This statement is, in no way, intended to cast dispersion on Community Ministries,
our understanding and belief is that the organiza:on did the best with what it had un:l it could no
longer. Rather, the informa:on is provided as background informa:on to the events that followed.
AWer deciding that KRCC sta could not, in good conscience, operate a shelter in that condi:on, KRCC
began evalua:ng alterna:ve sites. Approximately a week before Christmas, KRCC was made aware that
Community Ministries did not have the funds to pay its sta, so KRCC immediately hired those
individuals, so as to con:nue to sta the shelter and make sure that the individuals would remain
employed and so that Community Ministries could con:nue to operate the shelter. KRCC also provided
addi:onal sta during the recent snowstorm, with subzero temperatures, so that the shelter could
remain open around the clock.
As discussions con:nued, KRCC was made aware that an iden:ed loca:on for the shelter would not be
readily available, as an:cipated. Since our plans had developed around this loca:on, we were with no
alterna:ve but to relocate the individuals in the shelter to other loca:ons and assign shelter sta (that
wished to be) at other KRCC facili:es. KRCC is aggressively scou:ng loca:ons for a new shelter and
con:nue to have discussions with the Community Ministries Board and other community partners
regarding these desperately needed services for the most vulnerable of our ci:zens. KRCC started these
conversa:ons with its mission in mind and will con:nue them accordingly.