LEXINGTON, Ky. — Residents in Madison County are coming together to help people from homelessness and to highlight renters’ protections.
Maggie Park has lived in Madison County for 20 years and has always wanted to become a homeowner.
“Madison County is a mixed community of mountain Kentucky and bluegrass plateau, Kentucky and the rest of the southern going into Tennessee and the entire state. So many people come to this area, whether it’s for jobs or to go to school and we need homes,” Park said.
Park been a renter since college and recognizes the challenges it takes to get to the point of buying a home.
“I think I’m in a position where I could, but the local housing market, how some of the regions are kind of being cut up zoning-wise,” she said.
Park and others are knocking on doors, making phone calls and meeting weekly for the Madison County Tenants Union. She says it’s important for her to help her neighbors.
The union was created by six individuals in 2020 to help families struggling through the pandemic and provide resources for those facing eviction or losing their homes. Inside their month-old center, there are spaces for cooking, a fellowship hall, bathrooms with future shows, and a pantry for food and essential items.
Wendy Mondragon is a volunteer who says she lost her job because of her disability leading to hardship.
“I’ve been kicked out of my home when I owned a home because I didn’t know the laws for single women and first-time home buyers. I could have had an organization that would have informed me of my rights,” Mondragon said.
Organizer Michael Harrington said when evictions aren’t prevented, people are forced to find other means of shelter like hotels, couch surfing, in their cars, and outdoors.
“Now in Madison County, 2023 set a record for the most evictions ever filed in our county’s history. Four years that we have that one. We know the true impact of the eviction crisis is even greater because of the 667 families being evicted. That number only reflects those evictions that make it to the courtroom.,” Harrington said.
He said right now, Madison County has no emergency shelters that are open year-round.
“For nine months out of the year, we have absolutely nothing. So the only solution that has been an offer from the Madison County fiscal court is to say people need to be behind bars,” Harrington said. He shared they often take their concerns to their local officials.
With the state’s Safer Kentucky Act banning outdoor camping, the group is focusing on those experiencing homelessness.
“We all have similar stories. I mean, we all might be slightly different, but it’s almost always something we can identify with. A lot of people are struggling,” Mondragon said.
While the central mission of the Madison County Tenants Union is to help residents know their rights as tenants, they say they’re creating a space where support always grows.
The group works with the Up Initiative, Madison Homes Incorporated, AppalReD for legal services, and local food banks.