LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Residents are already moving out, and hundreds more will have to do the same.
What You Need To Know
- Hundreds of residents are moving out of Louisville's Dosker Manor apartments after the city said it will close the public housing complex
- For years, residents have reported poor living conditions in the nearly 60-year-old housing community
- The city is dedicating case workers to help residents plan to move
- The Louisville Metro Housing Authority said it expects all residents to relocate by Dec. 2025
The exact future for hundreds of residents of Louisville's Dosker Manor apartments is unknown; however, the city already announced it will close the public housing complex. For years, residents have reported poor living conditions in the nearly 60-year-old housing community.
In May, the Louisville Metro Housing Authority had long last decided what to do about the aging property: tear it down. The complicated process of relocating more than 600 residents has already begun, which includes 76-year-old Booker Bradley. He said he has no idea what's coming next.
Officials said Dosker Manor began admitting homeless residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Bradley said he became homeless after sustaining a back injury, reducing his mobility. It was then, three years ago, he moved into Dosker.
While he appreciates having a place to stay, he said the conditions inside are poor and three years at Dosker are three years too long.
“Some people have been here for 20, 30 years; not me," Bradley said. "It’s not for me."
The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods is now providing on-site case workers to help residents like Bradley plan for their departure. If a current resident wishes to transition to other public housing, they must first be current on rent or have an agreed-upon payment plan, said Nannette Dix, Trauma Resilient Communities Team program manager with the city of Louisville.
Dix added part of the work is providing mental health case workers to help residents emotionally prepare for the inevitability of moving.
"When you start really taking the steps to move, then you start thinking about, 'I’ve been here for a long time,'" Dix said. "And a lot of times, this is home to people."
The Louisville Metro Housing Authority said all Dosker Manor residents will be relocated by Dec. 2025.
