TheTimesTribune.com, Corbin, KY

March 8, 2010

Shelter for homeless in London expands


The Times-Tribune

CORBIN — By Carl Keith Greene / Staff Writer

London’s Christian Shelter for the Homeless recently expanded its reach by buying a building at 321 East East Fourth Street.

The brick two-story building, recently used as a daycare center, and built in the 1960s will be used right away for a donation sorting and storage facility, said the center’s executive director, Theresa Marinaro.

The building will also host an area for classes for the shelter’s population. “We want to hold classes, parenting classes, computer classes, things like that for our folks. We needed a place that would have room for that.”

She said there’s no room for that at the current site, noting “We are bursting at the seams.”

Thursday the population was about 38, she said, adding that the average number is about 50 people.

“They come in, get back on their feet and move on,” Marinaro.

The shelter opened just more than two years ago and up to now, nearly 700 souls have stayed at the current facility.

It has areas for individual people as well as apartments.

The community and its service clubs have been invaluable in the operation and maintenance of the facility, she said, noting, “The community here is just fabulous. We cannot say enough about this community and the way they have stepped up and supported us.”

That support is why the center needs a place to store and sort donations, she said.