St. Benedict’s Homeless Shelter has named Susan Law as the Director of Advancement. She started her new role on Monday and said she is already looking to the future of the organization, with one of the main goals being to “change the trajectory of the homeless population.”
Law said that with 20+ years of experience in nonprofits in social services, she has seen how difficult it is for individuals who are homeless to overcome challenges such as unemployment, substance abuse, mental health issues, and domestic violence.
Law comes to St. Benedict’s after serving as Resource Coordinator with The Center of Owensboro Daviess County, where she connected families and individuals with needed services.
“I want to hit the ground running. I worked with resources and families in need of adequate shelter, and it seems like the circumstances that happen always start a domino effect and folks just wind up homeless for one reason or another. It’s almost impossible to overcome any of those other barriers without adequate shelter,” Law said.
St. Benedict’s Executive Director Harry Pedigo said the position was recently changed from their Development Director. With this new look, they wanted someone geared toward thinking about the future of St. Benedict’s while also thinking about and expecting homelessness to continue to rise.
“When this position became available, I knew the need and entered the position confident that working together, our city can change the trajectory of our homeless population. I’m excited to be a part of that change,” Law said.
Pedigo noted Law’s past experience made her a perfect fit for the position.
“It’s not all the time you can find a fundraising, marketing, and grant writer that has the knowledge and passion she has,” Pedigo said.
Law said with the homeless population growing, there are many efforts that need to take place to help combat the issue such as raising monthly donors, partnering with more organizations, and getting the word out to the community about St. Benedict’s efforts.
“What I hope to do is make people more aware and get the word out as to how they can be a part of changing the trajectory of our homeless population,” she said.
The nonprofit offers targeted case management for individuals battling substance abuse, mental illness, and emotional disorders. They also offer standard case management, laundry facilities, drug and alcohol assessments, rehousing, shower facilities, bible studies, technology center, life skills, advocacy, education and employment services, housing assistance, outreach, crisis intervention, WiFi, and homeless prevention plans, all in a drug-free environment.
