Homelessness and housing insecurity are realities in every community in Kentucky. Professionals in the social services and affordable housing fields believe that city leaders must be part of any solution to these issues. The Kentucky League of Cities Homelessness and Housing effort is an ongoing initiative (launched in 2021) to provide information and resources for members.
Homelessness, Housing Insecurity, and Affordable Housing
KLC's July 2022 publication How To: A Step-by-Step Guide to Examine Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Your City, can help communities assess housing and homelessness locally. The digital guide provides links, valuable contacts, and resources throughout Kentucky. It also features suggestions on recruiting affordable housing developers and a section on how to serve as a local convener to discuss the challenges associated with affordable housing and homelessness in your community.
Persons experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity can be anyone-our parents, siblings, children, or friends. View video profiles of Kentuckians who have experienced homelessness.
There are huge gaps statewide for affordable and available housing. Studies from 2017-2019 estimate that Kentucky is short between 78,000 – 100,000 affordable homes/units to rent. And COVID only made it worse. The Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) is the funding source for most federal housing-related funds. With some exceptions (Lexington and Louisville), Kentucky cities do not receive direct funding, so city leaders need to understand what is happening in their jurisdiction and region regarding housing funds.
KLC partnered with the Eastern Kentucky University (EKU) Department of Government to provide a detailed snapshot of homelessness and housing in every Kentucky county. Learn more about the findings here.
Another excellent source for housing, homelessness and many other types of information is the Kentucky Center for Statistics.
Email KLC Member Relations Manager Terri Johnson or call 859-977-3784 with questions.