About The Gathering Place
"Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me."
We are a homeless shelter and community kitchen located in Georgetown, Kentucky seeking to bring hope to the hopeless in our community. Our mission is ultimately to empower the homeless towards hope and self-sufficiency.
At our core, we believe in the inherent dignity and potential of every person we serve. Our mission is to provide more than just immediate support; we aim to create an environment where individuals can build the skills, confidence, and resources needed for a fresh start. By focusing on long-term solutions, we work to break the cycle of homelessness and foster lasting change in our community.
At The Gathering Place, we offer more than just shelter - we provide hope, stability, and a supportive environment where residents can rebuild their lives.
Our Staff
Heather Johnson
Executive Director
Weston Worthington
Director of Finance and Data Management
Medra Bowen
Women’s Shelter Director
Hagen Wilkerson
Case Manager
Kiana Walton
Case Manager
Alexis Calhoun
Americorps Volunteer
Nate Schwartz, Chair
The Insurance Store
Victoria Byrd, Vice Chair
Indigo & Co
Melissa Ramsey, Secretary
CK Tactical
Gary Phillips, Director
KY Plumber
Jeremiah Johnson, Director
Jeremiah Johnson Ministries, Grace Point Church
Dylan Smith, Director
Entrepreneur
From Left: Dylon Smith, Victoria Byrd, Jeremiah Johnson, Heather Johnson, Melissa Ramsey, Weston Worthington, Nate Schwartz
Not pictured: Gary Phillips
Our History
The Gathering Place began in 2011 by serving meals to the hungry in Georgetown from a small church. As time passed, the individuals we helped with food revealed their need for shelter. In response, The Gathering Place Men's Shelter opened in 2012 with ten beds for men ages 18 and older. Recognizing the need for women's shelter services, we expanded in 2018 to include a Women’s Shelter.
In 2024, we responded to the increased need for men's shelter space and opened an additional 13-bed shelter, which was closely followed by another women's shelter in 2025.
The Gathering Place continued to respond to the increasing need for emergency shelter space by opening a year-round night-by-night emergency shelter for women, men, and children. Our low-barrier shelter option removes all limitations, operates 24 hours a day, and welcomes everyone in need. The combined shelter spaces allow us to accommodate 90 individuals each evening.
The Gathering Place also operates a program shelter option. The facilities and services are the same. The program is for individuals who want more for their lives, so we want to give them more. We believe that it is imperative to partner with individuals so they can better their lives through our program which has faith based requirements like sobriety, taking care of one’s hygiene and space, and working towards an improved future. We had X number of program participants in 2024.
Through our Community Kitchen, we provide two nutritious meals every day to roughly 100 men, women, and children, whether you shelter with us or not. We invite the community to free clothing, shoes, and hygiene necessities, hot showers, laundry facilities, and case management services. The Gathering Place provided services to 1,413 unduplicated individuals in 2024.
The three full-time staff members are blessed to partner with community volunteers, nonprofits, and government agencies to continue to break down barriers for those experiencing homelessness. Every guest is treated with dignity and compassion while we work to remove the barriers that prevent lasting independence. We believe safe shelter, food, and the basic necessities are human rights. We respectfully request your financial support to sustain and expand The Gathering Place Mission's life-changing work.
The Gathering Place Begins
The Gathering Place Mission was founded on February 28, 2005 on the same property we operate on today. In its earliest years it operated as a church where local ministers offered sermons on Thursday nights and Sunday mornings.
Emmaus Kitchen
During these church services, it became apparent, there was a need to serve those experiencing hunger and homelessness. Volunteers began serving meals, leading to the establishment of the Emmaus Kitchen, which we now refer to as the Community Kitchen.
Men's Shelter
Through serving meals at the Community Kitchen, other needs surfaced. We began to receive clothing donations and hygiene items to help those experiencing homelessness. Then, we opened a low-barrier emergency shelter for men experiencing homelessness.
Women's Shelter
We opened a low-barrier emergency shelter for Women and Children experiencing homelessness.
"White Flag" Shelter
Began serving as the primary partner in Scott County to operate a “White Flag” shelter, which only opens at night if colder than 31 degrees, and opens during the day if hotter than 95 degrees. This portion of shelter services was only open for weather events.
Full-Time Shelter
The “White Flag” program transitioned to being available full time as part of our low barrier shelter for the community. That is, we never closed the shelter to anyone in need of services, regardless of the weather.
Second Men's Shelter
Opened a second Men's Shelter in February 2024.
Full-Time Operations
Procured a new building and moved operations of our Women’s Shelter in February 2025. We also opened our shelter full-time 24 hours a day in the Spring of 2025. Previously we operated like a traditional low barrier shelter where clients had to leave at 7 a.m., however the community felt the strain of not having a day shelter or a place for people to go, so we began having our doors open 24 hours a day. Clients can now come any time of day to use our laundry, shower and resource facilities.
Twelve years have now passed since it began serving as a shelter. We have grown each & every year since 2011, even during the pandemic. And we have big plans for the future to expand our availability and opportunity to serve Georgetown, Scott County and the surrounding region through the love of God.
Financial Information
The mission of Gathering Place is only possible with the generosity of our donors. We strive to be excellent shepherds of the financial resources entrusted to our management but we do not want you to simply accept our word for it. So, to be fully transparent, our IRS Form 990s for the last three tax years are attached below for your review & inspection. Please reach out to us at accounting@thegatheringplacemission.com if you should have any further questions about our finances.
