Lexington opens affordable housing units, with more expected by the end of the month
With its latest ribbon-cutting, Lexington has now opened more than 400 affordable housing units so far this year.
Gleanings Housing Inc., a local affordable housing non-profit, cut the ribbon on a new triplex home Wednesday, Oct. 9. Lexington invested $51,468 to help the project, with allotment from the Non-Profit Capital Grant Program.
The triplex, located on the East End, cost $175,000 to build. The money from the city helped fund a new parking lot for tenants and purchased appliances for the property.
“It’s going to take a community. It’s going to take a group of people working together to house those individuals with very limited income,” said Laura Slaughter, Gleanings Housing Executive Director.
The tenants of the new units will pay 30% of their monthly income as rent.
In all, through the Lexington Affordable Housing Fund, the city has supported the opening of 401 affordable units this year, with another 83 expected later this month.
Last year, the city opened around 800 units, according to Commissioner Housing Advocacy & Community Development Charlie Lanter. He said housing “comes in waves.”
Lexington has invested $48.3 million into the construction or preservation of affordable housing units in the city in the past decade, creating or revitalizing 3,5000 units, Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said.
The city uses the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development definition of affordable housing, which classifies units as affordable when the household does not pay more than 30% of their gross monthly income for rent and utilities.
“Affordable housing is definitely a pressing need in our city. This development will provide three housing units for families in the lowest income bracket,” Gorton said.
“The affordable housing challenge is growing and we must continue to work together to best meet the demands for the future.”
A survey conducted in August by Central Kentucky Housing and Homeless Initiative and the Street Voice Council, made up of people who are homeless, counted more than 3,000 homeless people in Lexington. That number represents a 26% increase from last year.
LexCount, the city’s separate, yearly count of people experiencing homelessness, counted just 825 people in Lexington in January, up only 1% from the previous year.
The city’s count follows U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development guidelines, while the community survey includes several populations not included in those guidelines — people in jail, motels, hospitals and drug and alcohol treatment programs