LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Residents at Dosker Manor are one step closer to leaving the complex.
The Louisville Metro House Authority (LMHA) Board approved 997 project-based voucher (PBVs) awards on Tuesday. This means anyone living in LMHA's Legacy properties, like Dosker Manor, will be eligible for replacement housing with the help of the PBVs.
LMHA spokesperson Jailen Leavell explained the PBVs designated as replacement housing due to the redevelopment of the Legacy properties will be offered to those tenants first at the initial lease-up. After that, PBV units will be available to any household who is eligible.
Carol Bush has been living at Dosker Manor for the last 21 years.
"I have black mold all in my apartment, on my ceilings, in my bathroom, " said Bush. "One winter I killed 31 mice, that's ridiculous."
Leavell also said the PBV rental units will be deed restricted for 40 years to help ensure they are affordable for low-income households.
Anyone relocated from Legacy properties will have priority access to the replacement housing options, and tenants will get a rent cap of 30% of their monthly income Leavell said. Any developers seeking vouchers will need to complete additional requirements to become eligible.
A voluntary relocation process will also start as early as this Friday for those living in Dosker Manor building A. It's part of the Housing Authority's push towards demolition.
Bush is all for this move.
"Better believe it, does that mean they're going to help us still pack up? That's my only concern," she said.
The project-based vouchers help increase the supply of affordable housing and provides more relocation options for Dosker Manor residents.
But these vouchers are strictly for the developments and pays the tenant's rent.
"Because I took one look at Dosker Manor and said, 'absolutely not, we're not keeping people in here, we're getting people into better situations,'" Executive Director Elizabeth Strojan said.
Anyone moving out of Dosker Manor will have the option to move to other Metro Housing properties.
"This approval is a significant step towards providing stable, affordable housing for our residents and other Louisvillians in need," Strojan said. "It reflects our commitment to improving living conditions and ensuring long-term affordability for the families we serve."
In late May, Strojan said her goal is to tear down Dosker Manor and start fresh.
Residents like Bush living at the complex have also reported living through bug infestations, mold and violence.