Louisville Families in Recovery Face a Housing Crisis. The Solution Might Start With Us.
For over a decade, ChooseWell Communities (CWC) has stood with young parents in early recovery as they work to reclaim their lives and raise their children in safe, stable homes. Housing has always been the bedrock of that transformation. Without it, nothing else—sobriety, reunification, employment—can truly take root.
That’s why our long-standing partnership with the Louisville Metro Housing Authority (LMHA) has been so essential. Through LMHA’s Special Referral Program, CWC was allocated 80 Section 8 housing vouchers—critical tools that have helped dozens of families move from transitional sober living into permanent, affordable homes. These vouchers don’t just subsidize rent; they make healing possible.
But in recent months, the housing landscape has shifted dramatically, and our families are now caught in the middle.
What Changed—and Why It Matters
In late December, LMHA announced a temporary freeze on new applications to the Special Referral Program, citing operational and funding challenges. Initially, we expected the freeze would lift in early spring. But in late March, we learned the pause would extend indefinitely. As of now, no new CWC families can access the remaining 40 unused vouchers—despite being fully eligible and ready to apply.
Importantly, LMHA has been transparent and collaborative throughout this process. Their hands are tied by a harsh funding reality: they are nearly 98% reliant on federal dollars, and current HUD allocations are not keeping pace with rising local demand. In fact, LMHA is now over-leased, meaning they’ve already committed more vouchers than their current budget technically supports. Their leadership has expressed willingness to reevaluate the program in time—but they also acknowledge that changes at the federal level may make any near-term expansion unworkable.
We empathize with their position. We also feel the weight of its consequences every day.
Nineteen of our participant families are ready to apply for vouchers today. Nine more will be ready within the month. These families—most of whom are living in group sober living or unstable temporary housing—are working hard to maintain sobriety, pursue employment, and reunify with their children. But without a pathway to permanent housing, progress is at risk.
When the Ground Shifts, We Must Adapt
This crisis isn’t anyone’s fault—but it is now everyone’s problem. The systems we’ve long depended on are under immense strain. Meanwhile, the needs of our families aren’t slowing down—they’re growing. Families can’t wait for federal appropriations to stabilize or for voucher programs to reopen. They need a roof. They need a lease in their name. They need certainty.
CWC was built to be a gap-filler. But this gap is now wider than ever—and the path forward will require new tools, new partners, and new thinking.
Up next in Part 2: how ChooseWell is designing a creative, community-driven patchwork solution—and how we’re inviting bold partners to help us build what could become Louisville’s first recovery-informed housing network for families in early recovery.