By Jessica Able, Record Staff Writer
A new bus shelter was unveiled May 18 at Catholic Charities of Louisville’s St. Anthony campus, located at 2222 W. Market St.
The TARC bus stop’s new colorful backdrop is embellished with the word “welcome” written in English and numerous other languages representing groups of refugees who have been resettled in Louisville.
The stop is located steps away from Catholic Charities’ Migration and Refugee Services offices. And staff members of Catholic Charities were consulted on the design of the Market Street bus stop.
During a press conference to unveil the new shelter, Lisa DeJaco Crutcher, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities, said it will serve not only the refugee clients who visit Catholic Charities but the whole community, including those who are aided by the Sister Visitor Center, another ministry of Catholic Charities located across Market Street from the shelter.
The press conference also featured Metro Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer and Lisa Osanka, interim director of the Louisville Metro Housing Authority.
They noted that the new shelter on Market Street and another at 11th and Chestnut streets in front of Central High School mark an end to the first phase of “SmArt Stop” bus shelters planned for the Russell neighborhood. Both stops contain Little Free Libraries. Another four stops are expected to be unveiled in the Russell neighborhood later this year.
The “SmArt Stop” project is one of several projects funded by the $1 million Choice Neighborhood Action Activities grant awarded to Louisville Metro Housing Authority in 2016 by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
