FRANKFORT, Ky. (KT) – Gov. Andy Beshear has announced an additional $54 million is now available for eviction relief in Louisville and Lexington, bringing the total to $138 million allocated to the state’s two largest cities.

Initially, the two cities were funded directly by the federal government in a program to prevent renters from being evicted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while the other 118 counties in Kentucky were under a separate program administered by the state.

However, the federal funding formula gave Lexington and Louisville less funding than anticipated, and the mayors of both cities asked the Governor for Team Kentucky funds to help them continue running their local programs.

After two rounds of state funding, included the second one announced shortly before Christmas, Louisville has now received $92.2 million, while Lexington has been awarded a total of $46 million.

Those who qualify can receive up to 15 months of rent assistance, including up to 12 months of back rent and up to three months of future rent.

“Helping those most in need is what we do on Team Kentucky,” said Gov. Beshear. “We must remember that for many Kentuckians, securing housing is a struggle. In our high-population areas like Louisville and Lexington, we know the pandemic made that even harder for so many families. These funds will go a long way to helping more of our stay in their homes.”

Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer noted, “These eviction prevention programs have been a lifeline for so many of our residents, and we look forward to using some of this new allocation from the state to fund that work, as well as other ongoing housing stability efforts. We have a need for more than 30,000 units of affordable housing in our community, and the bulk of this funding will go toward building those critical units.”

Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton stated, “Thank you Gov. Beshear. “The state has now provided over $46 million to help Lexington residents stay in their homes. One in every 12 renters in Lexington has been helped by this program. We will focus this additional funding on residents with the greatest risk of housing instability.”

Since the program started in 2021, the state has assisted more than 50,800 households and issued more than 69,000 individual payments, totaling $196.9 million in rental assistance and $23 million to help with utilities and internet costs.

A similar program is also available to help homeowners with up to $60,000 available to clear up delinquent mortgages. More information is available at teamkyhherf.ky.gov.