OUR MISSION
Initially founded in New York in 1999, VOCAL-NY serves as a model for the work to come with VOCAL-KY. Our campaigns have saved or improved the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers, and now we’re ready to help Kentuckians step into that same power.
VOCAL-KY is building a movement of low-income people dedicated to ending the AIDS epidemic, the war on drugs, mass incarceration, and homelessness across the country. We fight for systemic change rooted in justice, compassion, and love. We approach this work with a firm belief in reducing harm and ending stigma, and the knowledge that the issues impacting our communities are driven by institutional oppression, not personal failings.
Our Model
Our model of movement building draws inspiration from three traditions:
TRADITIONAL COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZING
DIRECT-ACTION AIDS ACTIVISM
BLACK-LED SOCIAL MOVEMENTS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
Our STAFF
Shameka Parrish-Wright
Director
Shameka is a long-time community organizer, successful project and campaign manager and social justice activist. She is formerly homeless, formerly incarcerated, and was the child of an incarcerated person. Her family has been impacted by HIV and the war on drugs. She recently ran for Mayor in Louisville, before starting at VOCAL-KY.
Brittany Morris
Harm Reduction Program Lead
Brittany is the Harm Reduction Program Lead at VOCAL-KY and brings both lived experience and deep empathy to her work. She has firsthand experience with substance use and homelessness and has been almost four years sober, getting sober the day she found out she was pregnant with her daughter. This pivotal moment reshaped her life and fuels her passion for harm reduction, meeting people where they are, and creating compassionate, judgment-free spaces rooted in dignity, hope, and real understanding.
Savvy Hughes
Harm Reduction Associate
Savvy Hughes (she/her) is a Harm Reduction Associate with VOCAL-KY, where she works alongside individuals impacted by housing insecurity, the failed war on drugs, mass incarceration, HIV/AIDS, and other barriers to provide care coordination, resource navigation, basic needs support, and connections to housing, healthcare, harm reduction services, and community resources while helping create a welcoming, low-barrier space rooted in dignity and respect.
Before joining VOCAL-KY, Savvy spent more than five years working in community outreach, housing services, and youth programs throughout Louisville. She is passionate about harm reduction, housing justice, and not only helping people navigate broken systems, but working alongside impacted communities to dismantle barriers and rebuild those systems with the people most affected leading the way. Savvy is trained in trauma-informed care, de-escalation, Mental Health First Aid, CPR/AED/BLS, and opioid overdose reversal, and is certified as an Adult Peer Support Specialist (APSS) and Community Support Associate (CSA).
Before joining VOCAL-KY, Savvy spent more than five years working in community outreach, housing services, and youth programs throughout Louisville. She is passionate about harm reduction, housing justice, and not only helping people navigate broken systems, but working alongside impacted communities to dismantle barriers and rebuild those systems with the people most affected leading the way. Savvy is trained in trauma-informed care, de-escalation, Mental Health First Aid, CPR/AED/BLS, and opioid overdose reversal, and is certified as an Adult Peer Support Specialist (APSS) and Community Support Associate (CSA).
Jennifer Twyman
Drug Policy Organizer
Jennifer comes to VOCAL after providing harm reduction services to some of Louisville’s most marginalized and underserved communities for the past 5 years. Her drive and passion are fueled by her own 20 year struggle with chaotic substance use, followed by the last 12 years of using harm reduction in her daily life, as well as supporting her “sister” through 20+ years of incarceration. Jennifer has been laying the groundwork to build VOCAL-KY by organizing and building power with people who use drugs in Louisville.
Stephanie Kaufman
Director of Harm Reduction Services
Stephanie Kaufman serves as Director of Harm Reduction Services at VOCAL-KY, where she provides strategic leadership for the organization’s drop-in center and oversees the development and delivery of low-barrier programs and services. She is passionate about creating welcoming spaces where people can access practical support, build meaningful relationships, and be treated with dignity and respect.
Stephanie brings more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, including over seven years working directly alongside people experiencing homelessness. Throughout her career, she has been committed to advancing housing justice, reducing barriers to care, and building communities rooted in compassion, equity, and non-judgment.
Her leadership is also deeply informed by her own lived experience. With more than 16 years in recovery from addiction, Stephanie has personally relied on local shelters and recovery services. These experiences continue to shape her trauma-informed approach to harm reduction.
Stephanie brings more than 15 years of nonprofit leadership experience, including over seven years working directly alongside people experiencing homelessness. Throughout her career, she has been committed to advancing housing justice, reducing barriers to care, and building communities rooted in compassion, equity, and non-judgment.
Her leadership is also deeply informed by her own lived experience. With more than 16 years in recovery from addiction, Stephanie has personally relied on local shelters and recovery services. These experiences continue to shape her trauma-informed approach to harm reduction.
Angela Singh
Harm Reduction Associate
Angela Singh (she/her) is a Harm Reduction Associate with VOCAL-KY, where she helps connect community members to overdose prevention tools, safer sex supplies, drug-checking materials, and other essential resources while fostering a welcoming, nonjudgmental environment. Before joining VOCAL-KY, Angela conducted independent community outreach and partnered with the Kentucky Harm Reduction Coalition, distributing tens of thousands of drug-checking test strips and naloxone throughout Kentucky to expand access to lifesaving services. She is passionate about harm reduction, mental health advocacy, overdose prevention, and reducing barriers to care, believing that everyone deserves compassionate support and the opportunity to make informed decisions about their health and well-being. Angela is currently completing an Associate of Science in Allied Health, where she has earned President’s List and Dean’s List honors, and has completed specialized training in trauma-informed care, de-escalation, mental health, addiction, disabilities, naloxone administration, public health policy, and access to care in rural communities. She is proud to support VOCAL-KY’s mission of creating healthier communities and advocating for policies that put people first.