Over the past year, CLOUT conducted a citywide Listening Process, and then a 4-month research process, to develop solutions to problems related to police-community relations in Louisville. We concluded that, in order for our community to move beyond the pain and trauma of the past year, and into a future of healing and peace, Louisville should engage in a ‘Truth and Transformation’ process between LMPD and the community.

CLOUT leaders met with Mayor Fischer’s office, LMPD Chief Erika Shields, the FOP, and Metro Council leaders to recommend that the city contract with the National Network for Safe Communities (NNSC) to conduct in Louisville their “Reconciliation” process for that purpose. 

At our Assembly in April, Metro Council President David James committed publicly to support CLOUT’s initiative. And on June 24, the Metro Council voted to support $600,000 for it. CLOUT is now working with Mayor Fischer’s office, LMPD, the FOP, and Metro Council to participate in this process and to ensure its success.

At the Assembly, Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Dr. Marty Pollio committed to catch up from the setbacks of this past school year due to schools being closed, by accelerating the number of schools to be trained this summer (2021) in whole-school restorative practices from the twenty already planned to a total of thirty. Training in restorative practices will be that much more important this year, as students return from the trauma and isolation due to the pandemic, to rebuild community, reestablish relational skills, etc.

The use of restorative practices has already resulted in reduced behavior incidents & suspensions in the participating schools. At two schools visited by CLOUT leaders, their principals reported reductions in suspensions of 80%.

Also at CLOUT’s Assembly, Metro Council President David James and Budget Chair Bill Hollander committed to work with CLOUT to pursue additional funding of at least $10 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the upcoming city budget. At their meeting on June 24, Metro Council did approve this amount, and CLOUT is continuing to work to get additional funds from the American Rescue Plan into the AHTF.

In 2019, CLOUT’s research has revealed that older adults in Louisville are often forced to leave their homes and enter an institution due to a lack of knowledge or access to affordable services and programs for maintaining their homes, meeting their basic needs, and for overcoming isolation. 

We determined that our city needs a better system of informing and connecting our growing population of older adults to the services and social opportunities that they need in order to thrive and remain independent. Therefore, CLOUT secured the commitment of UofL’s Trager Institute to develop a “Village”-model program, as exists in many other cities. After the 2020 launch of the program was delayed by COVID, at CLOUT’s 2021 Assembly, Dr. Joe D’Ambrosio of the Trager Institute committed to launch it later in 2021.