Housing
Kentucky Has Millions To Stop Evictions. Some Landlords Won’t Take It
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Uncooperative landlords have blocked hundreds of tenants in Kentucky from eviction prevention money. The government could pay tenants directly, but won’t.
Louisville Landlord Sued Over Late Fees, Eviction Threat
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The tenant told KyCIR she was unable to pay her rent due to the pandemic.
Government
In Public Housing, Few Masks and ‘Petri Dish’ Common Areas
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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.
Health
Though Evictions Are Paused, Late Fees Accrue For Some Renters
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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.
impact
Louisville Changes Public Nuisance Enforcement After KyCIR Investigation
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Codes officials will no longer issue premature violations or encourage landlords to evict their tenants to avoid hefty fines.
Criminal Justice
For Louisville Offenders And Victims Alike, A New Label: ‘Public Nuisance’
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Louisville’s public nuisance ordinance is intended to provide a way to bust up drug houses and crime dens. But police and code enforcement officials have been increasingly focused on residential locations where crimes are reported — regardless of whether the victim or the offender lives there.
Government
Instability Grows As Louisville Eviction Rate Doubles National Average
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Data shows that poverty rates climb and populations wane in the neighborhoods where evictions have been the most common over the last 16 years.
Hi, I’m Jasmine Demers, a reporter for KyCIR covering issues related to youth and social services. I’m also a corps member with Report For America, a national program that places journalists into local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues and communities.