At Dosker Manor’s A building on Thursday, a cookout was underway. Residents lined up to get a serving of hamburgers and hot dogs.
They were also there to learn about an on-site program called the Supportive Housing Project, which aims to help navigate housing resources for low-income people, financial help and provides mental health counseling.
Louisville Metro’s Office of Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, also known as OSHN, is offering the services for free thanks to a combined $228,992 grant from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services, or SAMHSA, and the Louisville Metro Housing Authority.
The program focuses on people experiencing the possibility of homelessness, seniors, and people with disabilities who are struggling with mental health or substance abuse issues.
Nanette Dix is Louisville’s SAMHSA program manager, part of OSHN’s Trauma Resilient Communities Division, which helped develop the program. The Supportive Housing Project will be expanded to assist residents living in all properties operated by the LMHA, Dix said.
Dix said people may not fully understand the complexities of moving out and finding housing, and that’s where she and her staff come in to advocate and be a voice for them.
“And as people you know transition out of Dosker, you know, our services do not stop. We go along with you,” she said.
Louisville Metro Housing Authority officials said this week their goal is to relocate Dosker Manor residents by the end of 2025.
“On one hand, that's a very aggressive and fast, expedited timeline for a relocation like this. It's also a really long time to wait if you're desperate to get out of Dosker Manor,” LMHA executive director Elizabeth Strojan said, in a presentation to a Metro Council committee on Wednesday.
In May, Louisville Metro Housing Authority officials pointed to recurring problems of pest infestations, security issues and maintenance problems, and recommended tearing down and rebuilding Dosker Manor, which houses over 600 people. The complex was built in the 1960s and has suffered decades of disrepair and poor upkeep.
Some residents in Dosker Manor who are eager to leave owe back rent, Strojan said. Only residents paying their current rent can receive relocation assistance benefits, she said. She recommended people begin paying their rent, or enter into a repayment agreement that would not exceed 40% of their income.
“What we want to make sure people know is that you don't have to get your balance to zero right now, but you have to start paying your current rent,” she said.
Dosker resident Mark Bramel said he moved to the housing complex nearly a decade ago after being homeless. He said he wants to move to a house in the East End, but he owes back rent.
That means he needs to enter into a payment agreement with the housing authority before he can receive relocation assistance.
“I owe about $1,800, or close to [$1,900], so I'm going to try and get that paid up,” he said at the cookout.
Bramel hopes he’ll get some help through the program. He lives in the C building, which would be the last to vacate.
“I'm all about getting out sooner, you know?” he said.
As of now, voluntary relocations are underway for residents at the complex’s A building. LMHA has submitted an application to the federal agency Housing and Urban Development for the planned demolition and relocation and is awaiting HUD approval.
