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Local ministries report winter shelter use, transitional housing progress
Summary
Pastor Nathan Young and volunteers with Mark 12 told the Shepherdsville City Council the White Flag overnight shelter and associated programs served dozens in recent weeks and outlined program outcomes from 2024, including a thrift outreach and a transitional Pathway Home program.
Pastor Nathan Young, a Mercy Hill Church pastor and board member of Mark 12 ministries, updated the Shepherdsville City Council on winter shelter operations and the nonprofit’s 2024 programs.
Young said Mark 12 operated a White Flag overnight shelter from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. at First Baptist Shepherdsville in recent weeks. "We've had 52 volunteers. We've had 13 churches that have been represented," Young said, adding the shelter had "12 people that we've brought through" and averaged about four guests per night.
The update placed the shelter work in a broader set of Mark 12 efforts. Young said the outreach thrift store and voucher partnerships helped 455 families (an estimated 1,000 individuals) in 2024, with the material value of items provided estimated at about $66,000. He described the Pathway Home transitional housing program (formerly Room in the Inn) as having 17 participants this past year, with two graduates who “secured employment, housing, transportation, and savings.” Mark 12’s Healing Together network and a veterans program called Operation Restore were also presented as active initiatives.
Council members and staff asked procedural and coordination questions; city officials said they would continue to refer people and coordinate with the nonprofit and other agencies. Young said Mark 12 had assisted guests with bus tickets to out-of-state destinations, referrals to mental-health and women's programs, and medical aid provided by volunteer nurses.
Young asked the council to direct businesses or residents with concerns about shelter guests to contact Mark 12 so the nonprofit could respond. Council members praised the volunteer base and encouraged continued collaboration between churches, the city, and service organizations.
Mark 12’s recent warming-station activity was described as short-term emergency support: Young said a warming station opened three days at Mercy Hill and that agencies coordinated transport from police referrals when needed. He said a longer-term, more permanent site farther south on Highway 61 was being explored for continuity of services and transitional placements.
The council did not take a formal vote on any new policy during Young’s presentation; the session was an informational update and a request for continued cooperation between city departments, police and volunteer groups.
Looking ahead, Young said Mark 12 plans to continue and expand the Pathway Home program and the thrift-store outreach, and asked the city to publicize contact points so businesses and residents can report street-level issues for timely referrals.
