Homelessness

Louisville does not face a homeless crisis. It faces a housing crisis. That crisis in affordable and adequate housing creates homelessness and the spiral of negative effects that follow.

In Louisville alone we need over 30,000 units of affordable housing for those that work full time at minimum wage—for making less than 30% of Area Median Income (AMI), or about $20,000 for a family of three. This lack of housing drives up rents which make adequate and safe housing unaffordable for people who are already sensitive to small changes in prices for necessities. This, in turn, drives up Louisville’s eviction rate which has broken new records in recent months.

When a family can not meet the cost of increased rent, or face any other crisis, they lose their home and are likely to enter a spiral of events which make breaking this chain of catastrophe even harder. For example, they may face hunger and food instability. Hunger can impair work performance for adults and academic performance for kids. The cost of living in a constant crisis mode in itself has a cost in terms of physical and mental health. In the longer term, eviction also makes it much harder to secure stable housing, making the cycle nearly self perpetuating.

Sarah wants to address the housing crisis and its components on all fronts.

First, it is imperative we create more affordable housing options to support working families that are one bad day away from homelessness.

Additionally, reducing evictions helps to reduce homelessness. Sarah supports organizations that are committed to ending homelessness such as the Coalition for the Homeless , a group focusing its efforts on intervention, eviction court reform, and getting better information to people before they get an eviction on their records.

There are other measures and easy wins that can also help Kentuckians currently experiencing homessness. We can improve access to services, medical care, and employment just by making driver’s licenses and photo ids easier to get and renew. This kind of change can be critical for one of the fastest growing homeless populations: young people in general and specifically our LGBTQ+ youth . We need to ensure that 16 and 17-year-olds experiencing homelessness have the ability to get an ID without parental consent. Sarah ‘s recent experience taking her own son to get his driver’s permit was an eye opener as it became apparent how impossible the process would be for kids without parental support and resources, financial and otherwise, that the process requires.

When people experience homelessness, it can lead to a domino effect of so many other challenges. These challenges result in personal catastrophes and trauma for the individuals and families that experience it but also for our community as well.