Affordable Housing in Louisville, KY

This page collects the specific programs, agencies, phone numbers, and rules that apply in Louisville and Jefferson County — not generic Section 8 advice. Louisville's biggest local advantage: in April 2021, Louisville became the first city in the South and the 9th city in the country to enact a Right to Counsel for tenants facing eviction. Louisville is also one of the Kentucky cities covered by the Kentucky URLTA (stronger tenant protections than the rest of the state). The named resources below are where to start.

Emergency Help Tonight in Louisville

If you need a safe place to sleep tonight or are facing an imminent eviction, these are the local resources to contact first:

• Wayside Christian Mission — Louisville's largest emergency shelter system for men, women, and families. Multiple locations downtown and across the metro. waysidechristianmission.org
• Salvation Army Center of Hope (Family Lodge) — emergency shelter for families and the Center of Hope men's shelter
• St. John Center for Homeless Men — day shelter and case management. stjohncenter.org
• Volunteers of America Mid-States — emergency and supportive housing programs across Louisville
• St. Vincent de Paul Louisville — Center for the Homeless (Holcomb House) for men, plus family services and St. Jude Women's Recovery Center
• The Center for Women and Families — domestic violence shelter and 24-hour crisis line: (502) 581-7222. Bilingual advocates
• YouthBuild Louisville and The Sunrise Children's Services — youth and family shelter programs
• Coalition for the Homeless of Louisville and Southern Indiana — Coordinated Entry — single intake point. Call 211
• 211 Metro United Way — free 24/7 information line for shelters, food, financial assistance, and social services

For a full walkthrough of finding shelter the first night, see our emergency housing tonight guide.

Section 8 in Louisville: LMHA Status and How to Apply

Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers in Louisville are administered by the Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA). Current status (May 2026):

• All LMHA waitlists are closed as of May 2026. The application process has been on hold since July 1, 2024. The RAD-converted property waitlist status changed to closed on February 28, 2026
• Public Housing through LMHA — separate program with site-specific lists, currently also closed. lmha1.org/housing/application_for_public_housing
• Project-Based Voucher (PBV) and RAD-converted properties at specific Louisville sites may reopen periodically. Watch lmha1.org/section_8 for announcements
• Other special programs: Emergency Housing Vouchers (EHV), HUD-VASH for veterans, Mainstream vouchers for non-elderly people with disabilities — separate referral processes
• Apply to neighboring authorities too: Housing Authorities of Bullitt County, Oldham County, and the Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) statewide voucher program. KHC also serves residents outside the URLTA cities
• Status check: call (502) 584-1704 for your waitlist position, or (502) 569-3400 for general LMHA inquiries

For the national application process, see our step-by-step Section 8 guide and how to find your PHA.

Emergency Rental Assistance in Louisville (Named Programs)

If you're behind on rent or can't pay this month, these are the local programs currently operating in Louisville. Funding shifts month to month — always call to confirm current availability:

• Team Kentucky Housing and Homeowner Relief Fund (HHRF) — the state's main program for unpaid rent or utilities and prospective missed payments. Jefferson County residents apply through Rent Help Kentucky. Call 1-833-KYRENTS (833-597-3687) or apply at teamkyhherf.ky.gov
• Louisville Metro Office of Housing — Eviction Prevention — central hub for City-funded eviction prevention and Right to Counsel referrals. louisvilleky.gov/government/housing/eviction-prevention
• Stop My Eviction Hotline (Louisville Metro Government) — apply for rental assistance and connect to legal help. stopmyeviction.org
• Louisville Metro Utility and Rental Assistance — local rental and utility help administered through the Office of Resilience and Community Services. louisvilleky.gov/government/resilience-and-community-services/utility-and-rental-assistance
• Legal Aid Society Louisville — free legal help for low-income tenants facing eviction. The primary provider of Louisville's Right to Counsel for eviction. Call (502) 584-1254. yourlegalaid.org
• Catholic Charities of Louisville — emergency financial assistance, food, immigration legal services. Spanish-language services available
• St. Vincent de Paul Louisville — one-time emergency rental and utility help through local parish conferences
• Salvation Army Louisville Area Command — eviction prevention and utility assistance
• Metro United Way Family Stabilization & Solutions Center — wraparound case management for families at risk of homelessness

The federal pandemic ERA has ended

Federal pandemic Emergency Rental Assistance funds distributed through Kentucky have largely been spent. The Team Kentucky HHRF continues with state and federal funding rotated through KHC, but funding levels vary. Don't waste time on closed pandemic-era portals — apply through teamkyhherf.ky.gov or call 1-833-KYRENTS.

Utility assistance: LIHEAP

Kentucky's LIHEAP is administered locally. In Louisville, you apply through the Community Action Partnership of Jefferson County (CAP) or LIHEAP sites. Heating help typically runs November through March; cooling assistance in summer. Apply through CAP-JC or call 211.

Tenant Rights in Louisville & Kentucky

Louisville has the strongest local tenant protections in Kentucky. Two big features set it apart from the rest of the state:

• Louisville Right to Counsel for Eviction (April 2021): Louisville became the first city in the South and the 9th city in the country to enact a Right to Counsel for tenants facing eviction. Free legal representation is available for income-eligible tenants in Jefferson District Court eviction cases. Apply through the Legal Aid Society of Louisville at (502) 584-1254 or yourlegalaid.org. Contact them the day you receive a court summons
• Kentucky URLTA applies in Louisville: Louisville is one of the Kentucky cities that adopted the Kentucky Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (URLTA, KRS Chapter 383). This gives Louisville tenants stronger statutory protections than tenants in non-URLTA Kentucky counties
• 7-day notice for nonpayment under URLTA (KRS §383.660). Use those days to apply to Team KY HHRF and contact Legal Aid
• 14-day notice for lease violations: the tenant can cure within 14 days before the landlord can terminate
• 30-day notice to end month-to-month from either party
• Security deposit return: within 60 days of move-out with itemized deductions (KRS §383.580). Kentucky does not cap deposit amounts
• Warranty of habitability: KRS §383.595 (under URLTA) requires landlords in covered counties to maintain habitable units. The Louisville Codes & Regulations Department handles complaints
• Retaliatory eviction is illegal under KRS §383.705 within 1 year of tenant complaints to officials, joining a tenants' association, or exercising legal rights
• Self-help eviction is illegal: KRS §383.655 prohibits lockouts, utility shutoffs, and removal of belongings. The landlord must use Jefferson District Court
• No statewide source-of-income protection: Kentucky does not have a statewide law preventing landlords from refusing Section 8 vouchers. Louisville has not (yet) passed a local source-of-income protection ordinance. Finding a landlord who already accepts vouchers is part of the work — LMHA can provide a list of participating landlords
• Fair housing: discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, or disability is illegal under federal law and the Kentucky Civil Rights Act. The Louisville/Jefferson County Human Relations Commission handles local intakes

For free legal help: Legal Aid Society of Louisville at (502) 584-1254 is the primary Right to Counsel provider. Kentucky Equal Justice Center serves the broader region. For state-level details, see our Kentucky housing resources. If you experience discrimination, see how to file a housing discrimination complaint.

Other Housing Programs in Louisville

• Public housing: LMHA owns and manages public-housing communities across Louisville. Application is separate from Section 8; current waitlists are also closed
• LIHTC (Tax Credit): Louisville has substantial LIHTC inventory. Search HUD's LIHTC database for properties in Jefferson County. See how to find LIHTC housing
• Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund — Metro-funded affordable housing development. New income-restricted apartments come online each year
• HUD-VASH (veterans): combines a voucher with VA case management. Louisville-area veterans are referred through the Robley Rex VA Medical Center. See how to apply for HUD-VASH
• Rapid Rehousing & Permanent Supportive Housing — coordinated through the Coalition for the Homeless of Louisville and Southern Indiana. Access via 211
• Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) programs — statewide homebuyer assistance, MyHome Loan, and statewide voucher program for non-LMHA areas. kyhousing.org
• HUD-approved housing counseling: find a counselor through the HUD counselor locator — Center for Accessible Living and Louisville Urban League cover the area

Next Steps

Not sure which program is right for you? Our Where to Start tool asks a few quick questions about your situation — emergency vs. long-term, family vs. individual, employed vs. on benefits — and routes you to the right combination of programs. It takes about two minutes.

If you received a court summons for eviction in Louisville, call the Legal Aid Society at (502) 584-1254 the same day — under Louisville's Right to Counsel ordinance (the first in the South), you may qualify for a free attorney. For rent help, call 1-833-KYRENTS or apply at stopmyeviction.org.