Journey guide
Leaving Shelter or Transitional Housing
This guide helps organize a transition plan without representing an assessment, referral, subsidy, or unit as certain.
Your plan
4 steps, in the order that works. Select any step for the full instructions.
- Step 1 of 4. Check where you can go on exit day. More info.
- Step 2 of 4. Confirm the housing handoff. More info.
- Step 3 of 4. Plan medicines and travel with staff. More info.
- Step 4 of 4. Keep each application moving. More info.
Not in your numbered plan
How your answers changed this plan
- Removed from your numbered plan because of your answers: Set up mail and phone before leaving; Prepare an exit-day fallback.
This is the ordered plan for Leaving Shelter or Transitional Housing. Each step links to its full instructions further down this page.
Answer these to shorten your plan
Optional. Nothing is stored and no answer decides eligibility. Skipping every question gives you the full plan above.
Start here
Your first action
Do this now
Talk with the shelter case manager or housing navigator about a transition plan before your stay ends. Confirm any upcoming deadlines.
Next: Shelter case manager or housing navigator
Use the case manager or navigator contact from the shelter, if one was assigned.
Ask: Ask about a written transition plan, current housing availability, any referrals already in progress, and the timeline for your departure.
Situation: Leaving a shelter and need to transition to more stable housing, employment, or independent living.
What you need to startUse what you have. Missing items do not block the first call.
Have ready if available
- Transition plan or housing plan documents from the shelter
- Any pending housing applications or referral numbers
- ID, benefit cards, and important records
- Safe contact method after leaving
Missing something? Ask what can be reviewed; do not wait to call.
If the first route fails
If no transition plan is in place or coordinated entry has not been used: Contact the Louisville Coalition for the Homeless for a common assessment and coordinated access to housing resources. Dial 211 for additional support services.
Keep any existing referrals and case manager contacts active during the transition.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-08-01 · Jurisdiction-neutral
What remains uncertain: Housing availability, waitlist status, eligibility for transitional or permanent housing, and benefit portability must all be confirmed with the specific organization.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-08-06 · Kentucky
Programs under one organization can differ. Provider information · Methodology
Choose what needs attention
Select a card to add it. Select it again to remove it.
Public Beta limitation
Reviewed Public Beta guidance only. Fees, timelines, eligibility, document substitutes, capacity, and provider practices are not published unless a named source has been verified. Confirm current requirements directly.
How to read checked, listed, and unknown informationA listing can stay useful without being provider confirmed.
- Checked fact or route
- NOLO matched the fact to the named source on the date shown. This is not proof of current availability or provider confirmation.
- Directory lead
- A listing that may still help remains visible with an honest status such as Possibly active or Needs verification.
- PROVIDER CONFIRMED
- Only named fields backed by linked first-party provider evidence, integrity checks, and attributed human approval may carry this state. NOLO never infers it from a website, import, likely fit, or contact attempt.
- UNKNOWN / Needs verification
- NOLO does not know the answer yet. Confirm it directly; this is not a claim that the resource or option does not exist.
Each step in full
The same steps as the plan above, with the instructions for each one.
Step 1Check where you can go on exit day of 4
Do this
Confirm the exit date with the current program and whether the next place has accepted you.
- Ask staff to distinguish a completed placement from a referral still awaiting an answer.
- If you have nowhere safe, ask for shelter access help now; in Louisville, 502-637-2337 takes calls daily, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Why this step is here
Resolve the first-night gap before relying on a longer housing application.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- Coordinated Shelter Access takes shelter reservation and homelessness-prevention calls at 502-637-2337 daily, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Coalition for the Homeless — Contact Us. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- An exit date does not prove a destination, bed, or extension is available.
Step 2Confirm the housing handoff of 4
Do this
Ask the sending and receiving programs what referral or application is actually complete.
- Write the receiving contact, last confirmed status, missing items, and next check date.
- Ask separately about emergency shelter and longer-term housing assessment; one does not establish the other.
Move on when: someone is responsible for the next receiving-program response.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (2)
- Coordinated Shelter Access takes shelter reservation and homelessness-prevention calls at 502-637-2337 daily, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Coalition for the Homeless — Contact Us. Read on 2026-09-07.
- Apply for vouchers through a public housing agency; documents vary, waitlists can be long, and applicants must keep contact and household information current.U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — HCV Applicant and Tenant Resources. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Assessment status, program acceptance, and waitlist position are UNKNOWN without direct confirmation.
Step 3Plan medicines and travel with staff of 4
Do this
Before departure, confirm how essential medicines, appointments, and travel continue.
- Ask the prescriber or pharmacist about a supply gap; do not change medicine use based on this guide.
- Confirm the first trip, return trip, belongings, and any mobility support with the receiving program.
Why this step is here
Ask while the current program can still help arrange the handoff.
What was checked, and what is still unknown
Still unknown
- Medication supply, ride coverage, and storage are UNKNOWN until the responsible service confirms them.
Step 4Keep each application moving of 4
Do this
Check every open application after the move and keep your copies and next check dates.
- Report changed contact and household information to each housing agency.
- Ask who replaces the current helper after exit and who to call if a response is missed.
- Choose a safe contact method, name who owns the next action, and write down when to check again.
- Keep a safe copy or reference number for each notice, submission, referral, and instruction so the work can resume without starting over.
Move on when: each open item has a reachable contact, responsible person, and next check date.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- Apply for vouchers through a public housing agency; documents vary, waitlists can be long, and applicants must keep contact and household information current.U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — HCV Applicant and Tenant Resources. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- No placement or benefit continues automatically merely because it was discussed at discharge.
Not in your numbered plan
Your answers say these do not apply to you. They are kept here in case that changes.
Already handledSet up mail and phone before leaving
Do this
Choose a reachable contact method and update each active housing application.
- Ask the current shelter whether mail can still be collected and for how long.
- Confirm another mail arrangement directly before using it; give each agency the change through its own process.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- Apply for vouchers through a public housing agency; documents vary, waitlists can be long, and applicants must keep contact and household information current.U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — HCV Applicant and Tenant Resources. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Mail acceptance and retention at a particular shelter or post office are UNKNOWN.
Already handledPrepare an exit-day fallback
Do this
Ask staff for another safe route if the expected placement falls through.
- Use 211 for local shelter and support leads if no destination is confirmed.
- Keep the fallback contact accessible and recheck it before the exit date.
What was checked, and what is still unknown (1)
- 211 connects callers to local housing, food, utility, and other resource referrals.United Way 211 — Call 211 for Essential Community Services. Read on 2026-09-07.
Still unknown
- Admission and transportation remain UNKNOWN until confirmed by the receiving service.
Everything this journey covers is below: the documents involved, what commonly blocks people, and the official routes. Pick whichever situations above match yours to narrow this to an ordered plan for each one, with what to bring, what to ask, and what to do if it does not work. You can pick more than one, and you can change your mind.
This printout includes baseline guidance but no selected action plan. Return to the online guide and choose each task that applies before printing again for personalized steps.
Documents and what replaces them (4)Every document this journey covers, what each one proves, and the accepted substitutes.
Documents and recovery questions
Anything marked “confirmed” below has a named source and a check date. Everything else is a question worth asking, not a rule — ask before relying on it.
Housing and identity records
Housing and identity records
A later application may request identity, household, income, or housing-history information.
If it is missing
List missing items and ask each destination what can begin while recovery is pending.
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask the current program what records it can provide and what the receiving program accepts.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Referral and application confirmations
Referral and application confirmations
Written status helps distinguish a completed referral from a possible route.
If it is missing
Ask the referring organization for a copy or a clear contact and reference method.
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask the receiving program how it confirms a referral or active application.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Current medication list and prescriber contact
Current medication list and prescriber contact
A prescription that runs out during a move is one of the fastest ways an otherwise workable transition collapses, and the next provider cannot continue what it cannot see.
If it is missing
Ask the discharging clinician or programme for a written current medication list and the prescriber's contact before the exit date, and ask how a refill is obtained in the gap.
The route NOLO checked
Family Health Centers operates Phoenix, a health centre for people experiencing homelessness in Louisville, at 712 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40202. It publishes that Phoenix offers "Primary Health Care, Dental Services, Tuberculosis Testing, Social Service Outreach, Assessments, and Case Management, Mental Health Outreach Services, Mental Health Treatment, Pharmacy and Medication Assistance, Permanent Supportive Housing, Respite Care." It lists the Common Assessment team separately at 1300 S. 4th Street, Suite 200, on (502) 637-2080. This matters when leaving a shelter, a hospital, or a treatment programme with medication to continue: pharmacy and medication assistance, respite care, and case management are published as services of the same organisation that runs the housing assessment. Whether any of them is available to a particular person, at what cost, and how soon are Family Health Centers' answers, not this page's. NOLO has not verified Phoenix's opening hours.
Family Health Centers (Louisville) — Services for the Homeless — checked 2026-08-06. https://www.fhclouisville.org/health_services/services-for-the-homeless/
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask the pharmacy that last filled it what it holds on record; it may be reachable when the programme is not.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Benefit case information and the address on file
Benefit case information and the address on file
Benefits are administered to an address and a phone number. When those change and the agency is not told, notices with deadlines on them keep going to the old one.
If it is missing
Ask DCBS what address and phone are currently on the case and how to change them; ask what notices are expected in the next sixty days.
The route NOLO checked
Kentucky publishes a faster SNAP route for households in immediate need, and publishes the conditions for it. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services states: "If your household needs help right away, you may be able to get your SNAP benefits within a few days after applying." It then states you "may qualify for SNAP benefits soon after applying under certain circumstances, if: 1. Your household's monthly rent or mortgage and utilities costs are more than its gross monthly income. 2. Your household's gross monthly income is less than $150 and resources, such as cash or bank accounts, total $100 or less." Those are conditions a household can check about itself before it calls. The Cabinet also publishes that "The head of your household, or an authorized representative, must be interviewed before the application can be completed," that "Benefits will begin from the date your application is received," that an application received outside business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern) "will be dated for the next business day," and that after filing "you will receive a notice within 30 days" of the decision. Apply by calling DCBS Family Support on 855-306-8959, online, in person at a local Family Support office, or by mailing a printed application; TTY is 800-627-4702. Whether a household is entitled to expedited service is DCBS's determination, not this page's.
Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services — SNAP — checked 2026-08-06. https://www.chfs.ky.gov/agencies/dcbs/dfs/nab/Pages/snap.aspx
Possibilities to ask about
- Ask what account or case information the agency accepts when the card and paperwork are gone.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
If something is blocking you (6)What commonly stops people here, and what has worked around it.
If something is blocking you
A referral was discussed but no destination is confirmed.
Things to try
- Ask who received it, when it was sent, and how status can be checked.
Phone, mail, storage, benefits, or medication continuity may break at exit.
Things to try
- Create separate owners and fallback contacts for each continuity risk.
There will be no address for mail after the exit date.
Things to try
- Ask the destination Post Office about General Delivery — the Postal Service publishes it as intended for "transients and customers not permanently located", at one authorised facility per Post Office.
- Ask before relying on it: a postmaster may refuse it to someone unable to present suitable identification, and each piece is held no more than 30 days.
- Ask the current programme whether it accepts mail for former residents, and for how long.
The assessment and shelter lines are closed by the time this is being read.
Things to try
- Common Assessment is published as Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Coordinated Shelter Access as daily 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Neither is an evening or weekend route.
- Kentucky 211 answers 24 hours a day and can name options, though it does not reserve anything or perform an assessment.
- Plan the morning call the night before: who calls, from what phone, and what they will say.
The exit date has arrived and nothing is confirmed.
Things to try
- Treat tonight and the housing plan as two separate problems, and use the sleeping-outside guide for tonight.
- Ask the current programme, in writing if possible, what its discharge policy says happens when no placement exists.
The normal route stalls, gives conflicting instructions, or cannot confirm the next step.
Things to try
- Record who said what, when, and through which channel.
- Ask what escalation or alternate channel exists, then keep a separate fallback route open.
Where to go — official routes (8)Named offices and services, each with its own source, check date, and published limits.
Verified official route
Louisville publishes a housing assessment route that is separate from its emergency-shelter reservation line. The Coalition for the Homeless publishes that "Common Assessment (run by Family Health Centers Phoenix) identifies the needs of people experiencing homelessness through a short survey, and then connects you to the best resources to serve you, including housing or case management," and lists it at (502) 637-2080, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Family Health Centers publishes the same number for the same team, at 1300 S. 4th Street, Suite 200, Louisville, KY 40208, and states that "The Common Assessment team offers homeless outreach, assessment, and support to Louisville's homeless." Keep the two numbers apart: (502) 637-2337 is Coordinated Shelter Access, for a bed, open 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; (502) 637-2080 is Common Assessment, for a housing assessment, open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Neither source states whether walk-ins are accepted, what documents to bring, how results are prioritised, or which housing programmes require an assessment first — ask when you call. A survey is not a housing offer, a waiting-list place, or a determination of eligibility.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-06 · Kentucky · official source: Coalition for the Homeless (Louisville) — Get Help
Verified official route
Coordinated Shelter Access (Louisville)
The Coalition for the Homeless operates Coordinated Shelter Access, Louisville's front door for emergency shelter reservations. Its published route is (502) 637-2337, daily from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., or csa@louhomeless.org. The office at 1300 S. 4th Street #250 is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Coalition publishes that Coordinated Shelter Access is closed on New Year's Day, MLK Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, the Fourth of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day, and that on those days a person should go directly to a single-adult emergency shelter — it also states that family shelters do not accept walk-ins. This route does not establish that a bed is available.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-05 · Kentucky · official source: Coalition for the Homeless (Louisville) — Get Help
Verified official route
Family Health Centers operates Phoenix, a health centre for people experiencing homelessness in Louisville, at 712 E. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40202. It publishes that Phoenix offers "Primary Health Care, Dental Services, Tuberculosis Testing, Social Service Outreach, Assessments, and Case Management, Mental Health Outreach Services, Mental Health Treatment, Pharmacy and Medication Assistance, Permanent Supportive Housing, Respite Care." It lists the Common Assessment team separately at 1300 S. 4th Street, Suite 200, on (502) 637-2080. This matters when leaving a shelter, a hospital, or a treatment programme with medication to continue: pharmacy and medication assistance, respite care, and case management are published as services of the same organisation that runs the housing assessment. Whether any of them is available to a particular person, at what cost, and how soon are Family Health Centers' answers, not this page's. NOLO has not verified Phoenix's opening hours.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-06 · Kentucky · official source: Family Health Centers (Louisville) — Services for the Homeless
Verified official route
The Postal Service publishes General Delivery as a way to receive mail without a permanent address. Its FAQ states: "General Delivery is a mail service for those without a permanent address, often used as a temporary mailing address." The Domestic Mail Manual sets the rules. Section 508.6.1 states general delivery "is intended primarily as a temporary means of delivery: For transients and customers not permanently located" and for customers wanting Post Office box service when boxes are unavailable. Section 508.6.3 states a "general delivery customer can be required to present suitable identification before mail is given to the customer," and that "Prior to mailing, customers should contact the destination Post Office to determine the authorized facility or facilities and their applicable ZIP Code(s)." Section 508.6.2 states general delivery is normally available at only one facility per Post Office, that "A customer may use only one such location," and that a postmaster may refuse or restrict it "To a customer who is unable to present suitable identification" or where mail volume or accumulation cannot reasonably be accommodated. Section 508.6.4 states "Each general delivery mailpiece is held for no more than 30 days, although a shorter time period may be requested by the sender." Two consequences worth planning around: identification can be required, so this may not solve an address problem for someone who is also missing ID; and a notice with a deadline further out than 30 days can be returned to the sender before it is collected. Call the specific Post Office first — which facility offers it, and what identification that postmaster accepts, are decided locally.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-06 · Jurisdiction-neutral · official source: United States Postal Service — Domestic Mail Manual 508.6, General Delivery
Verified official route
Louisville Free Public Library publishes a card intended for people who only need to get online: "The Library offers Internet Access Cards for any individual, 18 or older, who only needs to use the library's desktop computers to access the internet." No proof of address is attached to that sentence, which matters because the ordinary free card has one — LFPL states a free card requires that "you must live, work, attend school, or own property in Jefferson County," and that collecting it means presenting a photo ID, plus "a piece of mail, tax return, property deed, lease agreement, or other proof of address" if the ID is from outside Jefferson County. It publishes a two-step route for a full card: complete the online application form, then visit a branch to collect the card. It states you "may also visit any location to register for a new card in person." For residents of listed nearby Kentucky and Indiana counties who do not qualify for a free card, it publishes a paid card at $35 per year. Questions go to (502) 574-1611. The published age floor for the Internet Access Card is 18 — NOLO has not verified what is available to someone younger. What each branch requires in practice, its opening hours, session limits, and printing are not established here.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-06 · Kentucky · official source: Louisville Free Public Library — How do I
Verified official route
Lifeline is a federal benefit with published rules for keeping it, and they are the part people are not told. The Universal Service Administrative Company states: "Qualifying consumers can get a monthly discount of up to $9.25 off the cost of their phone, internet, or bundled services. Consumers living on qualifying Tribal lands can get up to $34.25 per month." It states "Only one discount is allowed per household. A 'household' is a group of people who live together and share income and expenses." It publishes an annual check: "Each year, USAC or your state...will check if you still qualify for the benefit. If you are asked to recertify, you must recertify within 60 days or you will lose your Lifeline benefit." And it publishes a usage rule: "If you don't pay out-of-pocket for your Lifeline service every month, you must use it at least once every 30 days to keep your service." On qualifying, it names Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Federal Public Housing Assistance, and the Veterans Pension and Survivors Benefit, and states a household also qualifies if its "income is at 135% or less than the 2026 Federal Poverty Guidelines." It publishes that program participation is proved with a "benefit letter or official document" and income with a "tax return or three months of consecutive pay stubs." Whether a specific household qualifies, which companies participate locally, and what any plan includes are not established here. Recertification notices go to the address on the account — an address that has changed is a common way the benefit ends.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-06 · Jurisdiction-neutral · official source: Lifeline Support (USAC / FCC) — How to Qualify and About Lifeline
Verified official route
Kentucky publishes a faster SNAP route for households in immediate need, and publishes the conditions for it. The Cabinet for Health and Family Services states: "If your household needs help right away, you may be able to get your SNAP benefits within a few days after applying." It then states you "may qualify for SNAP benefits soon after applying under certain circumstances, if: 1. Your household's monthly rent or mortgage and utilities costs are more than its gross monthly income. 2. Your household's gross monthly income is less than $150 and resources, such as cash or bank accounts, total $100 or less." Those are conditions a household can check about itself before it calls. The Cabinet also publishes that "The head of your household, or an authorized representative, must be interviewed before the application can be completed," that "Benefits will begin from the date your application is received," that an application received outside business hours (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern) "will be dated for the next business day," and that after filing "you will receive a notice within 30 days" of the decision. Apply by calling DCBS Family Support on 855-306-8959, online, in person at a local Family Support office, or by mailing a printed application; TTY is 800-627-4702. Whether a household is entitled to expedited service is DCBS's determination, not this page's.
Open the verified official sourceLast checked 2026-08-06 · Kentucky · official source: Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services — SNAP
Official details not yet verified
The routes above are the ones NOLO has checked against a named source. Other Kentucky and Louisville routes for this situation are not verified yet — confirm them with the responsible agency or provider.
No official link is published until it is verified. Ask the agency for current instructions.
Official details not yet verified — ask the agency for current instructions · checked 2026-08-01 · Kentucky
Build a handoff packet for a case managerFor a worker, advocate, or outreach team preparing a referral on someone's behalf.
Case manager packet
Build a Leaving Shelter or Transitional Housing handoff
Choose the sections you can review together in under five minutes. The handoff starts with the first action and ends with a fallback. NOLO does not ask for or store a client name, answers, case notes, or checklist progress.
First action plus 4 selected sections
Document prompts are preparation—not a verified agency checklist. UNKNOWN means “confirm this,” not “no.” A source link does not confirm eligibility or current availability.
Before the appointment ends
- 1. Name the next official contact.
- 2. Choose one UNKNOWN to confirm.
- 3. Agree on a fallback if the first route fails.
Routes whose sources publish 24/7 access
These sources describe the route as available around the clock. A route may be a staffed phone, text, or chat line, a self-service form, or a local process. This is not a live check that someone will answer or that a service has capacity. Read each availability note and confirm the current route when you can.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Mental-health distress, emotional distress, suicide, or substance-use crisis — for you or for someone you are worried about.
Call or text 988988lifeline.org
Chat at chat.988lifeline.org. Text and chat are published in Spanish, and there is a Deaf and hard-of-hearing route.
988 publishes that it is available 24/7/365, free, and confidential.
Source: 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — checked 2026-08-05.
Kentucky 211
Housing, food, utilities, transportation, and community services — when you need to know what exists near you tonight.
Or text your ZIP code to 898211.
Kentucky 211 answers 24 hours a day.
Source: NOLO emergency contact policy (SOURCE_OF_TRUTH §11) — checked 2026-08-05.
VA National Call Center for Homeless Veterans
Any veteran who is homeless or at risk of it. Family, friends, and case managers may call on a veteran's behalf.
Call 1-877-4AID-VET (1-877-424-3838)va.gov/homeless
VA publishes a free, confidential online chat with a trained counselor, any time of day or night.
VA publishes that this line is available 24/7.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — National Call Center for Homeless Veterans — checked 2026-08-05.
4 more routes whose sources publish 24/7 access
National Domestic Violence Hotline
Confidential support if someone is hurting you or you are helping someone who is being hurt.
Call 1-800-799-7233thehotline.org/get-help
Text START to 88788, or use the live chat. There are Spanish, StrongHearts, and video-phone routes.
The Hotline publishes phone, text, and chat routes to an advocate. It also warns that internet use can be monitored and is impossible to erase completely — if this device may be watched, use a different one.
Source: National Domestic Violence Hotline — Get Help — checked 2026-08-05.
Seven Counties Services crisis lines
Local crisis support for the Louisville area, staffed at any hour. Separate lines for adults, children, addiction recovery, and developmental-disability crisis.
Adult crisis (502) 589-4313sevencounties.org
Child crisis (502) 589-8070. Addiction recovery (502) 583-3951. Developmental-disability crisis (502) 459-5292.
Seven Counties Services publishes all four lines as available 24/7, 365.
Source: Seven Counties Services — Crisis Number Directory — checked 2026-08-05.
Kentucky protective order
Filing a petition for an emergency protective order, if someone is hurting you or threatening you.
How protective orders work (Kentucky Court of Justice)
Petitions are filed with an Office of Circuit Court Clerk; the court publishes contact details for all 120 counties.
Kentucky courts are required to provide a 24-hour access process for orders of protection in every county. The after-hours location or procedure can vary by county. Contact the local circuit court clerk, law enforcement, or a domestic-violence program to confirm the local process. The Kentucky Court of Justice also states that there are no fees or costs for filing a petition. Whether to seek an order is your decision, and an advocate can help you think it through.
Source: Kentucky Court of Justice — How to Obtain a Protective Order — checked 2026-08-05.
Legal Aid Society online application
Eviction, housing conditions, benefits, and other civil legal problems in Jefferson County and fourteen surrounding counties.
Legal Aid Society publishes an online intake application available twenty-four hours a day. Its phone intake is Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed on Fridays — so at night the form is the way in.
Source: Legal Aid Society — Frequently Asked Questions — checked 2026-08-05.
If someone is in immediate danger or having a medical emergency, call 911.
Things that may help today
- If an exit puts someone in immediate danger, or a medical or mental-health crisis is happening, use the Emergency help panel first — NOLO does not monitor or dispatch help.
- Use the sleeping-outside journey if there is no safe confirmed destination.
- Continue broad housing search while preserving any active application or referral.
Forms, portals, and instructions by step (2)Official forms and portals placed where they become relevant, each with its owner, check date, and what it does not prove.
Documents inside the process
Forms, portals, and instructions by step
These are placed where they become relevant. NOLO does not imitate the form, collect answers, submit anything, or know whether you completed a step.
- 1
Address continuity — confirm the local Post Office first
Set up a mail-receiving fallback
USPS General Delivery may help receive time-sensitive mail without a permanent address, but the local Post Office and 30-day holding limit must be confirmed.
- Official instructionsOptionalSource checked
General Delivery
A way to receive mail without a permanent address. USPS publishes it as "intended primarily as a temporary means of delivery: For transients and customers not permanently located." No application form exists — it is arranged with the destination Post Office.
- Who completes it
- The person receiving mail, by contacting the destination Post Office. USPS publishes no application form for this.
- Gather before opening
- Identification: DMM 508.6.3 states a customer "can be required to present suitable identification before mail is given to the customer," and 508.6.2 lets a postmaster refuse service to someone unable to present it. What counts as suitable is decided locally — ask before relying on this.
- Access or submission
- Contact the destination Post Office to determine the authorised facility and its ZIP code before mail is sent; Collect in person at that one authorised facility
- Signature
- None published for arranging it. Identification can be required when mail is collected.
What this does not prove: Two limits decide whether this works. Identification can be required, so it may not solve an address problem for someone also missing ID. And DMM 508.6.4 states each piece is held "for no more than 30 days" — shorter than a 60-day benefits or appeal deadline, so a notice can be returned to the sender before it is ever collected.Official owner: United States Postal Service. Checked 2026-08-06. Not evaluated by NOLO. Collection is in person at a single authorised facility, which is itself an access constraint worth planning around. Not verified by NOLO; ask the local Post Office what language assistance is available.
Next in the process: If internet access is a barrier
- 2
Local free-access instructions
If internet access is a barrier
LFPL publishes an Internet Access Card route. Confirm age, identification, branch hours, and computer availability with the library.
- Official instructionsInstructionsSource checked
Internet Access Card
A library card for people who only need to use the library’s public computers. LFPL publishes it for "any individual, 18 or older" — without the Jefferson County connection and proof of address its ordinary free card requires.
- Who completes it
- The person needing computer access, in person at a branch. LFPL publishes an online application form for its full card and states you "may also visit any location to register for a new card in person."
- Gather before opening
- For the ordinary free card, LFPL publishes a photo ID requirement plus, if the ID is from outside Jefferson County, "a piece of mail, tax return, property deed, lease agreement, or other proof of address." No proof-of-address requirement is attached to the Internet Access Card sentence. NOLO has not verified what a branch asks for in practice — ask before travelling.
- Access or submission
- In person at any Louisville Free Public Library location; Online application followed by branch collection (for the full card)
- Signature
- Not published on the source page; ask at the branch.
What this does not prove: The published age floor is 18; NOLO has not verified what is available to anyone younger. This is a route to a computer, not to a device of your own, and nothing here establishes branch hours, session limits, or printing.Official owner: Louisville Free Public Library. Checked 2026-08-06. Not evaluated by NOLO. Branch opening hours and computer session limits are unverified. Not verified by NOLO; ask LFPL what language assistance is available.
Next: continue with the guide's fallback and agency questions.
Related resources
The core guidance is ready while resource matches load.
- Use the emergency information at the top of this page for urgent options.
- Dial Kentucky 211
- Report a missing resource
Before you travelA final check of documents, opening hours, and the receiving contact.
Avoid a wasted trip
- 1.Recheck the location, hours, appointment rules, and current document instructions before leaving.
- 2.Keep originals and copies organized, and ask before handing over the only copy you have.
- 3.At the counter, explain what is missing and ask what replacement or workaround evidence can be reviewed.
- 4.Ask what was received, what is still missing, how status can be checked, and what happens if the normal route fails.
- 5.Keep a safe copy, receipt, confirmation, or reference number for anything you submit.
Ask before leaving the counter: “Is there anything else that could prevent this application from being approved today?”
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Preparation and practice guidanceGeneral advice that applies to most appointments and calls, not only to this journey.
Practitioner and helper guidance
Preparation ideas for the person and anyone helping
Use a named owner and next check date for every open transition task.
A referral without ownership can disappear during discharge or exit.
Do not describe an assessment or waitlist as a housing offer.
Different stages carry very different certainty.
Ask for the housing assessment on (502) 637-2080, not on the shelter line.
Louisville publishes Common Assessment and Coordinated Shelter Access as separate services with separate operators and hours. Spending one of the shelter line's three daily hours on a housing question gets neither answered.
Fix the address and the phone before the exit date, and tell every agency that holds a deadline.
A benefits notice, an SSA decision, and a court paper all travel by post to whatever address is on file. General Delivery holds a piece for no more than 30 days, so a 60-day appeal window can expire on mail that was returned to sender.
Ask what happens on the exit day if nothing is confirmed, and ask before the exit day.
Discharge policies vary and are rarely volunteered. Learning the answer at 9 a.m. on the day leaves no time to act on it.
Separate documents, client statements, agency instructions, and unconfirmed assumptions in the record.
Clear labels let the next helper reuse what is known without turning an inference into a fact.
End each handoff with a named owner, safe contact method, next check date, and fallback.
A referral is easier to resume when responsibility and the failed-route response are visible.
Practitioner guidance from field experience — not agency policy. Checked 2026-08-01 · Jurisdiction-neutral.
Confirmed transition and continued search
This comparison does not recommend one option.
Confirmed next destination
- Documents
- Ask what information this route currently requires.
- Cost
- Unknown — confirm before choosing this route.
- When it may matter
- Use this only when acceptance, timing, and arrival instructions are confirmed.
- When it may not
- Do not use it when it creates a safety or care risk.
Parallel housing search
- Documents
- Ask what information this route currently requires.
- Cost
- Unknown — confirm before choosing this route.
- When it may matter
- Use this while a referral, assessment, waitlist, or application remains uncertain.
- When it may not
- Do not assume this route is available or appropriate.
Preserve both paths until the next destination is genuinely confirmed.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Appointment strategy
- 1.Ask whether an appointment is required before you travel.
- 2.Ask how walk-ins are handled and whether arriving early changes the process.
- 3.Confirm the location, hours, and documents again on the day you plan to go.
- 4.Ask what safe contact method will be used for changes, cancellations, or follow-up.
- 5.Before ending, ask who to contact and what to do if the appointment or referral cannot proceed.
Scheduling links and phone numbers are pending verification.
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
Day of the appointment or visit
At the office
- 1.Arrive early when practical, especially if you are walking in.
- 2.Ask for a realistic wait estimate.
- 3.Ask whether the office uses text messages, callbacks, or another queue-notification system.
- 4.Ask whether you can leave briefly and return without losing your place.
- 5.Prepare for a potentially long day.
- 6.Write down the name or department that gave each instruction, the date, and the next action.
Bring for the wait
- A charger
- Water and snacks where permitted
- Medications you may need during the wait
- All paperwork together in one folder
- Something to do while you wait
- A safe way to take notes and store confirmation or reference numbers
Universal preparation guidance · checked 2026-07-28 · Jurisdiction-neutral
What NOLO cannot promise
- NOLO does not decide eligibility.
- NOLO does not submit applications, renewals, appeals, or documents.
- NOLO cannot guarantee approval, a timeline, an appointment, or a fee waiver.
- NOLO is not a legal or benefits advisor.
- NOLO is not affiliated with any agency named on a journey page.
- This guide does not make a legal, medical, safety, eligibility, or discharge decision.
- A search result does not confirm funding, capacity, acceptance, or availability.
What requires an agency or provider
- Exit timing and current-program responsibilities
- Housing assessment, referral, eligibility, priority, and application status
- Whether an assessment is required for a given housing programme, and how results are prioritised
- Local capacity, accommodations, documentation, and follow-up practices
- Medication, prescription, and clinical continuity decisions
Take this with you
The referral packet is a one-page version built to print and hand over: numbers to call and when they answer, what to bring, what to ask, what to do if it does not work, and where each checked fact came from. It has blank lines to write on.
Open the referral packetYou can also print this full page with your browser’s print command. It keeps the preparation steps, recovery questions, day-of plan, and before-you-leave question while removing site navigation.