By Cindy Schroeder
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Once homeless, Larry Schuler now is an advocate at the Recovery Network of Northern Kentucky in Covington. The Cincinnati Enquirer/ERNEST COLEMAN

COVINGTON - More than four years after drug problems and mental illness left him homeless, Larry Schuler no longer lives on Northern Kentucky's streets.

Drug-free the past 18 months, Schuler, a part-time consumer advocate at Recovery Network of Northern Kentucky and a volunteer at social service agencies, wants to return the favor.

The 47-year-old Covington man is one of the organizers of the second annual Homeless Awareness Day in Covington's Goebel Park. The June 12 event is in remembrance of Covington's homeless sweeps two years ago and a nationally sponsored march two summers ago focusing attention on the plight of Greater Cincinnati's homeless.

IF YOU GO

What: Homeless Awareness Day When: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 12 Where: Goebel Park, Covington Features: About a dozen agencies serving homeless people will offer information and referrals. Lunch will be served and clothing and hygiene items will be passed out. Homeless people also can take part in a "Speak Out'' to give them a voice. Sponsors: Northern Kentucky Housing and Homeless Coalition and the Recovery Network of Northern Kentucky Information: (859) 431-2134

"This is organized by people who've lived on the streets," Schuler said. "We're a success story, and we want people who are homeless to realize that what we've done, they can do, too."

The event also is to raise public awareness about the local homeless problem and the need for affordable housing, said Jennifer Shofner, chair of the Northern Kentucky Housing and Homeless Coalition.

In 2003, the 37 agencies that report to Kentucky's Homeless Management Information System (KYMIS) listed 568 people as homeless in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties. Of those, 95 said they were homeless for the first time, said Mike Mullins, project manager and software trainer for KYMIS.

Northern Kentucky homeless advocates say shelter is especially needed for men.

Fairhaven Rescue Mission in Covington has 25 beds, but 11 of those are for men who are enrolled in the agency's substance abuse program. During the winter, a 33-bed cold shelter on Covington's Eastside was filled to capacity most nights temperatures dropped below freezing. However, homeless advocates said that shelter offers little more than a floor to sleep on, and isn't a viable option for people who need a place to stay while looking for work.

Covington became the focal point for Northern Kentucky's homeless problem in April 2002, when city workers razed Ohio riverfront homeless camps.

The campers, most of whom were away at the time of the sweep, said they lost everything from kittens and family photos to work clothes. Covington officials said the makeshift camps were a health hazard and an eyesore.

In January, four of the eight homeless campers who sued the city of Covington in federal court each collected $1,000 as part of a settlement with the city. They also were promised another $1,000 apiece from attorneys' fees.

Although campers later collected many belongings at Covington's public works headquarters, some clothing and tarps are still unclaimed, said Geoff Warneford, Covington's public works director.

Since the riverbank sweeps, Covington Mayor Butch Callery said that city officials have worked with Transitions Inc. to open an 11-unit apartment building for people who once were homeless. The city's housing department also worked with the Veterans Administration to secure 10 Section 8 federal rent subsidy vouchers for Vietnam War veterans and donated 500 blankets to an emergency shelter and other agencies helping homeless people.

After the riverbank sweeps, the city passed legislation banning most overnight camping in public parks and along Covington's riverfronts. City workers posted signs about the new law, and police now give homeless campers up to 72 hours to vacate and refer them to agencies helping homeless people, Callery said.

"Just because you're homeless doesn't mean you're worthless," Schuler said.

"With the way the economy is today, a lot of people are just one paycheck away from being homeless."

E-mail cschroeder@enquirer.com.