Samaritan has received a $500,000 grant from the Kentucky Association of Health Plans (KAHP) to assist 500 Medicaid members in Louisville and Lexington who are homeless or have precarious housing.
Throughout the holiday season, the investment helps Kentuckians who face the greatest obstacles stay connected to care and strive toward stability.
How the Samaritan Platform Works
Samaritan collaborates with community organizations to eliminate small but critical barriers, including lost phones, bus fares, clothing for job interviews and other everyday needs that often halt progress.
The tool is used by frontline clinicians to help their customers develop tiny, doable goals, or “action steps.” Participants receive modest $5–$15 incentives that help them follow through.
Providers then help Members apply those funds immediately toward transportation, food, hygiene supplies and other urgent needs.
Growth and Impact in Louisville
Since launching in Louisville in 2022, Samaritan has partnered with Goodwill Kentucky, The Hope Buss, Volunteers of America Mid-States, St. Vincent de Paul, Arthur Street Hotel, and other organizations serving people navigating homelessness.
So far, 331 Kentuckians have used the platform to continue receiving care, obtain necessary paperwork, receive treatment, get ready for work, and take steps towards housing.
“A Twenty-Dollar Barrier Can Derail a Care Plan”
“For many Kentuckians, a twenty-dollar barrier can derail an entire care plan,” said Tom Stephens, CEO of the Kentucky Association of Health Plans. “This partnership gives providers the tools to offer help at the exact moment it’s needed. Small supports delivered at the right time can change the course of a life.”
Across Louisville deployments, Members have completed nearly 80% of their action steps, met more than 300 urgent needs, and received nearly 8,000 messages of support.
“We offer many services at our location and within our company [Goodwill], however, there are gaps Samaritan helps us to meet needs where we can not,” said Shaun Israel, Director at Goodwill Kentucky. “I have seen our participants’ lives change through working with the Samaritan platform. The encouragement they receive throughout their journey is invaluable.”
Samaritan will be able to expand its collaborations in Louisville and introduce new programming in Lexington due in part from the $500,000 donation.
This article appears in Nov. 1-30, 2025.