LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Louisville resident Hope Turner says it was always her dream to be a homeowner, but less than five years ago Turner was living in an area shelter.

What You Need To Know

  • Hope Turner shared her story of success at Mayor's news conference 

  • Turner was once living in a shelter with two young children

  • Through the help of government programs, Turner bought her own home in 2023 

  • Mayor Craig Greenberg has identified a shortage of affordable housing apartments and homes

“I wasn’t worried about me,” Turner said. “I was worried about my kids. Many-a-days I didn’t have nothing to eat. I made sure my kids ate.”

In 2019, Turner separated from her husband and could no longer afford her apartment on her home. Turner says she had few options. “I had ended up going to a shelter with my kids because I couldn’t afford the apartment I was in. I was working at the school board. I wasn’t making a whole lot,” she shared.

Turner was living through one of the most turbulent periods of her life, but it was also the beginning of a journey that ends with her becoming a homeowner. 

This week Turner shared her story during a press conference with Mayor Craig Greenberg, D-Louisville. The focus centered on the city’s housing needs and the mayor’s plan to create more affordable homes. According to the city’s “Housing Needs Assessment,” Louisville is short 36,000 affordable units.

Turner credits several Louisville Metro government programs for helping her first secure an apartment and eventually buy a home. The first program was receiving a Section 8 housing voucher which allowed Turner to keep an apartment rent free while she was able to stabilize of her life. “It paid my rent for the first six months which was $650 and after the six months, $650 was deducted by $50 so by the time a year came around I should be able to be sufficient enough to be on my own,” she explained. 

The program worked well for Turner. In fact, by 2023 the mother of two felt she was ready to buy a home. 

“I went through the Section 8 Home Ownership Program so that was really a blessing to me and not only that I also used the self-sufficiency program through Section 8 where it helped me build up some money that I could use toward the down payment on my house,” Turner explained.

She began house hunting last summer, and by fall she was ready. In the process, she qualified for down payment assistance and for low-interest loans to help make improvements to her home to increase the value of her property.

A lot has happened in just five years and Turner confirms finding safe, affordable housing can be a real challenge for tens of thousands of Louisville residents, but programs offered through the Affordable Housing Trust Fund changed her life for the better.

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