Outreach Ambassador Gets Family Housing In Time for the Holidays

Outreach Ambassador Q helped find an unhoused family of six housing just in time for the holidays.

While bright color uniforms have come to be a staple of Block by Block Ambassador Programs, due to the nature of their work, Outreach Teams often do not wear any uniform at all.

These Ambassadors dedicate their working hours to helping individuals experiencing homelessness get connected with essential services. And, over time, we’ve found that they make more connections when they aren’t in uniform, as a uniform can be intimidating.

One of our Louisville Downtown Partnership Outreach Ambassadors, Quinton “Q” Thompson, has worked with us for one year, but in that short amount of time has dedicated himself to helping the Louisville community. He began as a Safety Ambassador but quickly found that he had a passion for outreach. Q can be seen confidently patrolling Downtown Louisville in his street clothes, making connections and meeting people with the purpose of helping get them off the streets into better circumstances.

Through a local initiative with the City of Louisville and Volunteers of America, the Louisville Outreach Team was approached to help find unhoused families who could move off the streets into a brand-new, block-wide campus that has both a shelter and permanent affordable housing built in.

“The family shelter has room for 15 families, and after seeing it on the tour, we were all excited and eager to do our part in helping to fill it and get families off the streets,” Q said.

Often, a challenge that Outreach Ambassadors face is finding street residents who want help or are willing to take help. But, just as Q was looking for families to move into this new facility, he serendipitously met a couple with four children who had recently moved to Louisville. Although they were unhoused, the parents were actively looking for work.

“Upon arriving here, they fell on hard times…I would never have even seen them had they not been out looking for work to improve their current situation,” Q said.

After meeting the family, Q knew instantly that they were a prime candidate to move into the new development. And, with his assistance, they were able to do just that. Right before some frigid Kentucky nights, Q helped get this family off the streets.

“For me to be in the right place at the right time to help someone who was trying to help themselves made it feel less like work and more like the right thing to do,” Q said.

Thanks to Q, this family will be celebrating the holidays with a warm place of their own.