Louisville Landlord Sued Over Late Fees, Eviction Threat
|
The tenant told KyCIR she was unable to pay her rent due to the pandemic.
Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting (https://kycir.org/author/jacobryan/page/3/)
The tenant told KyCIR she was unable to pay her rent due to the pandemic.
We’ll discuss what resources are available, what the pandemic means for the criminal justice system and how you can help people who may be struggling.
The spending data offers a glimpse into local officials’ response to the pandemic: personnel costs are ballooning, and city leaders are tapping an array of companies for supplies.
The COVID-19 pandemic lays bare the quandary of life in public housing: staying home means dealing with a crowded, antiquated high rise, plagued with maintenance issues and infestations.
When the first of the month came, Katrice Gill couldn’t make rent. The part-time, in-home health aide and single mother usually has no trouble paying the $200 monthly contribution to her Section 8 subsidized rent, plus utilities. But with schools closed, she’s home with her four young kids, and the grocery bill has ballooned.
Gill, 32, said she tried to call her landlord, but didn’t get a call back. Then, on April 7, the landlord sent an email with the subject line in all caps: PAST DUE NOTICE.
With the message came an added charge: she was assessed a late fee of $91, nearly 45 percent of what she usually pays in rent. “I’m just really stressed out,” she said.
City officials said fulfilling the request for about three weeks of spending records would create an “unreasonable burden” on the government agency.
Fifty people who live or work at the nursing home were tested. By Friday evening, a dozen test results had been returned — with a quarter of them positive.
Lyon County Judge Executive Wade White said state officials were initially reluctant to provide tests to check fellow residents and workers
It’s the first new month since the coronavirus swept into Kentucky, and for thousands of families, that means the rent is due. Many, though, may struggle to pay that bill this month. The spreading COVID-19 pandemic has led to the shuttering of scores of business, sparking layoffs and furloughs. Renters make up about 33 percent of Kentucky’s 1.7 million households, according to data from the Metropolitan Housing Coalition. The rate is slightly higher in Jefferson County, where renters account for about 38 percent of households.
The cuts reflect a 28 percent reduction in the state’s county jail population.