The vision of the Daniel Pitino Shelter, Inc., (the Shelter) began with the Pastor of Saint Stephen’s Cathedral, Father Bradley, who in his longtime work within the Cathedral’s soup kitchen, saw past the physical hunger of the homeless to the many hungers of the human heart. The Shelter was the natural outgrowth as a result of trying to meet the abundant needs of the body and the spirit among the homeless.

The Shelter was organized in 1993 with the expressed purpose of creating emergency and transitional housing for the growing number of homeless persons in Owensboro-Daviess County region. The three-story Daniel Pitino Shelter located at 501 Walnut Street, near the heart of downtown Owensboro, consists of 22,000 square feet of space. Built in 1959, the building originally served as the Walnut Street Baptist Church’s educational building until the Sanctuary burned in 1992. The Shelter Board of Directors entered into negotiations for the building in the fall of 1993 and took possession of the property in April, 1994. Upon receipt of a HUD Supportive Housing Program grant November 1, 1995, the transitional housing component made the dream a reality.

The Shelter is a non-profit, non-denominational, privately-supported organization which offers both emergency and transitional housing, provides nutritional food, primary physical and mental health care, essential services, and educational enhancement including life skills, legal aid sources, and computer training within the same building. The Supportive Housing Program (SHP) serves as a safe and secure place, a “sanctuary” for homeless families, where the healing process can begin, rehabilitation directed, and independent living guided. Through the SHP, the Shelter has successfully moved homeless persons from emergency shelter through transitional housing and into permanent residency, all the while supporting their needs and providing essential services and resources. The Shelter has the capacity to serve 65 individuals, 50 transitional and 15 emergency. During fiscal year 11/01/2006 to 10/31/2007 the Shelter served 352 unduplicated individuals.

The Shelter SHP provides a one-stop service location through the cumulative efforts of several agencies, thereby reducing duplication of services, a trend unique to a community of this size. The success of this unique program is also evident in the widespread community support of not only local social service agencies but also businesses, industries and individuals. Their donations provide systematic support enabling the shelter to meet the needs of the homeless that otherwise, due to financial strain, could not be met. This successful, cumulative effort of the entire community serves as a template for other areas focusing on providing supportive services to the homeless.