Need rent assistance? Louisville tenants can now get help through this state program

Bailey Loosemore, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
Items sit piled in a front yard in the west end as members of the Sheriff's Department enforce evictions following the moratorium being lifted. Sept. 8, 2021

Louisville tenants and landlords who continue to struggle from pandemic-related setbacks can now apply for rental assistance through Kentucky's Healthy at Home Eviction Relief Fund.

The program, launched in 2020, was not previously available to residents in Jefferson County, who were instead directed to funds distributed by Louisville Metro Government.

But the city's dollars have dried up. And with many people still needing help, the state has decided to open its eligibility.

"This continuation of aid for the residents of Louisville/Jefferson County is duly needed, and this assistance is critical to providing housing stability to families who are working to recover from the pandemic," Mayor Greg Fischer said in a press release.

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The Healthy at Home Fund is managed by the Kentucky Housing Corporation, which until now has provided assistance in all counties outside Jefferson and Fayette.

Louisville residents can now apply for the funds at teamkyhherf.ky.gov. Spanish speakers can call 833-597-3687 for assistance.

Fayette County residents should continue to apply through Lexington's program at covid19renterhelp.org.

Applicants to both programs can receive payments for up to 12 months of past-due rent and utility bills, plus three months of future fees.

Though Louisville has distributed more than $100 million in assistance through the COVID-19 pandemic, thousands of renters are still facing possible eviction because they're behind on payments.

As of mid-April, about 15,000 households in Jefferson County were behind on rent, owing a total of $29.4 million, according to a National Equity Atlas analysis of U.S. Census Household Pulse Survey data.

Statewide, 71,000 households were behind, owing an estimated $115.5 million at that time.

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A majority of local rental assistance has come through the American Rescue Plan Act, which allocated separate amounts to Louisville, Lexington and the rest of the state.

In early 2021, Kentucky received an allocation of $264 million for emergency rent assistance, $139.3 million of which has been distributed to nearly 31,000 households.

The state has also sent $23.4 million of those funds to Lexington and $54 million to Louisville to continue their programs after the cities' federal relief dollars ran out.

Earlier this year, Gov. Andy Beshear announced Kentucky received an additional $85.4 million in American Rescue Plan funds to go toward homeowner assistance.

Qualified homeowners can apply for up to $35,000 to help with delinquent mortgage payments, property taxes and other expenses at teamkyhaf.ky.gov.

Since February, that fund has distributed more than $3.4 million to about 300 homeowners, with an average payment of $14,000, according to a press release.

Reach reporter Bailey Loosemore at bloosemore@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4646 or on Twitter @bloosemore. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: https://www.courier-journal.com/baileyl.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Rental assistance Louisville Ky: State relief program open to tenants