Man spends days living in shack outside Jessamine County Library to spotlight homelessness, housing costs

NICHOLASVILLE, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – A Nicholasville man is spending several days living in a small shack outside the Jessamine County Library to draw attention to homelessness and the growing challenge of affordable housing in the area.

Johnny Templin, Founder and Executive Director of the Jessamine County Homeless Coalition, is now in his third day living in the makeshift shelter, a space he says measures about six-by-nine feet and has no insulation. While the cold has been difficult, Templin says the discomfort is part of the message he hopes people will notice.

Templin says this is not the first time he has taken such a step to bring awareness to these issues. With the exception of last year, he says he has stayed in the shack for a few days each year for the past four years.

He says the goal is to spark conversation about what he sees as worsening housing conditions in the county, including homelessness, the lack of affordable housing and substandard living conditions. Templin said the cold hit him especially hard when he started the demonstration Tuesday.

He spends about 21 hours a day at the shack and only leaves to go home to shower and change clothes. Templin says he believes the most urgent part of the conversation should be focused on creating more affordable housing options.

He also pointed to what he sees as rising rental prices in Nicholasville, noting that costs now rival or exceed nearby communities with larger populations and more amenities.

Templin plans to stay in the shack through Monday but says even when he leaves, he hopes the discussion about housing in Jessamine County will continue.