The Daniel Pitino Shelter received a $26,700 grant that officials say will help replace the worn playground surfacing and provide a new, stable, and “state-of-the-art” foundation for the new children’s playground and adult fitness area.
“The upgraded areas will give shelter guests access to equipment and play structures that will enable them to develop and maintain a healthy, active lifestyle and ultimately contribute to the overall physical and mental well-being necessary to achieve success,” said Dr. Michele Johnston, Executive Director of the Daniel Pitino Shelter.
The Kentucky Waste Tire Crumb Rubber/Tire-Derived Products Grant came from the Energy and Environment Cabinet of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and will go toward THE H.E.A.R.T. program that supports mental and physical health and well-being for homeless individuals, children, and families.
According to a release, the Pitino Shelter serves approximately:
• 70 youth under the age of 12
• 25 teens, ages 13-17 years
• 190 adults, ages 18-59 years
• 15 seniors, ages 60+
The Shelter serves the geographic area that includes the City of Owensboro and Daviess County, as well as surrounding counties.
Due to delays resulting from COVID-19 restrictions and consequences, the project was delayed until the late Fall of 2020. The Shelter plans to have an unveiling for the community when possible. Look for a virtual presentation on their Facebook page in the near future.
About Daniel Pitino Shelter
The Daniel Pitino Shelter, Inc., began with the vision of a community member who, in his longtime work within the St. Stephen 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 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 April1994. Upon receipt of a HUD Supportive Housing Program grant November 1, 1995, the vision of providing transitional housing became reality.
Today, Daniel Pitino Shelter offers emergency housing with the capacity to serve 65 individuals, has 4 houses available for transitional housing, provides the opportunity for permanent supported housing through the Nicky Hayden Apartments, and operates rapid rehousing and prevention programs providing much-needed assistance to reconnect citizens with housing and to prevent homelessness.
The Shelter also operates a Community Soup Kitchen to provide meals to the local community and for our shelter guests. For more information about Daniel Pitino Shelter, call 270-688-9000 or visit pitinoshelter.org.
About the Waste Tire Trust Fund
The Waste Tire Trust Fund was established in 1998 by the Kentucky General Assembly to receive fees collected from new tire sales. The Kentucky Energy and Environmental Cabinet provides grant funding through the Waste Tire Trust Fund for landscaping mulch projects, walking trails, poured-in-place playgrounds, sidewalks or other surfaces, horse trailer or stall mats, tree wells or other products utilizing recycled Kentucky tires.
“These grants encourage many innovative uses of recycled rubber, especially applications where it may provide better performance at a lower cost than other types of materials,” said Energy and Environment Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Goodman. “These grants also grow tire recycling markets across the state, which encourages proper management of waste tires.”
