Neighborhood Place Annual Conference draws more than 300 participants to emphasize they are ‘Stronger Together’

Mayor Greg Fischer joined more than 300 staff and representatives of the Neighborhood Place network today for an annual conference to celebrate Neighborhood Place accomplishments and explore new ideas for helping Louisville’s most vulnerable residents.

The day-long training and team-building event, which included keynote presentations by DeVone Holt, Chief External Affairs Officer with Goodwill Industries of Kentucky, and Adria Johnson, President and CEO of Metro United Way, was held at the Holiday Inn East, 1325 Hurstbourne Parkway. Its theme “Stronger Together,” emphasized the collaborative agencies making up Neighborhood Place, while also providing new tools to help staff meet the challenging needs of the families they serve.

Mayor Fischer opened the event by thanking all those in attendance for making Neighborhood Place a place where compassion comes to life.

“Neighborhood Place’s ability to thrive and evolve over these last three decades is because of the dedication of the staff who serve there,” he said. “This was perhaps never more evident than during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when our Neighborhood Place team stepped up immediately and compassionately to help keep residents safe and healthy at home.  I am grateful for the commitment of the Neighborhood Place staff, and for the commitment of the agencies that collaborate to make a greater impact.”

Now with eight locations across Louisville, Neighborhood Place began nearly 30 years ago as a one-stop center where individuals and families can go when they need a helping hand. Participants in today’s event included service providers and staff members from partnering agencies including the Louisville Metro Office of Resilience and Community Service (RCS) and Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW), Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS), Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department of Community Based Services (DCBS), and Seven Counties Services.

Highlights of the event included dynamic workshops that promoted the Neighborhood Place model of providing blended and accessible health, education, employment, and human services that support children and families in their progress toward self-sufficiency. Workshops focusing on compassion, housing, diversity, equity and inclusion, child abuse and mandatory reporting, human trafficking, substance abuse, and many more topics were offered at the conference.

Each year, more than 150,000 requests for services are made in Jefferson County at Neighborhood Place. To find a Neighborhood Place in your area, visit https://louisvilleky.gov/government/neighborhood-place or call Metro311 by simply dialing 311 or 574-5000.

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