MAYFIELD, Ky. — Many Mayfield residents are still reeling after a significant amount of housing was eliminated by the December 2021 tornado. Local figures outlined the persistent issues and possible solutions to the area’s housing crisis.
Executive director of Mayfield Housing Authority Greg Vaughn said the agency offers income-based homes ranging from a studio apartment to five-bedroom facility, also including an allotment for utilities.
After the December 2021 tornado, public housing in Mayfield faces issues of increased demand and limited units.
However, Vaughn said applicants for even a one-bedroom apartment often must wait six months to a year to be granted access. He said 584 people are on the waiting list, but only two units are currently available.
“That changes pretty steadily. You got people moving in and out, giving notices and stuff like that,” Vaughn said. “If you already live in Graves County or are a veteran, there’s preferences that move you up the waiting list a lot of the time. As far as [people impacted by] the tornado, that preference is pretty much over.”
Vaughn estimated that the disaster destroyed over 100 public housing units. He said Mayfield Housing Authority had to rebuild six facilities, and with the final one recently completed, the wait list could begin to relatively moderate.
Along with increased demand and limited housing, Vaughn said an underlying problem is possibly gentrification, where private developers replaced the former facilities and posed inflation in rent.
“Fair market rents in our area have gone up since [the tornado],” Vaughn said. “We certainly don’t sit here and do that. It’s set through the government.”
In terms of constructing more housing to meet needs, Vaughn said his agency is capped by a fair clause limit from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Based on the city’s size, he said the Mayfield Housing Authority has reached its maximum capacity for federally subsidized units.
“We’re only allowed so many units, unless the population grew or something,” Vaughn said. “HUD will not allow us to have any more.”
Matthew Allen, the executive director of nonprofit group New Lease on Life, said that safe, affordable housing has been a prominent hardship since the December 2021 tornado.
New Lease on Life has completed and dedicated 21 homes so far for former renters.
To restabilize the community following the disaster, New Lease on Life intended to transition 25 former renters to new homeowners. The organization completed construction and dedicated its 21st home last month.
“Just in general, there are challenges to affordable housing, but we saw post-disaster that weren’t as many units available,” Allen said. “What a lot of families experienced were scarcity of finding places of to live and having to pay higher rents when they did.”
Allen said philanthropic groups that responded to the area after the tornado can circumvent the adverse impacts of public housing, independently seeking funding and building units.
Matthew Allen, the executive director of nonprofit group New Lease on Life, said that safe, affordable housing has been a prominent hardship since the December 2021 tornado.
He highlighted the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund established by Gov. Andy Beshear that raised $52 million. A portion of that money facilitated the construction of more than 200 homes through various partnerships in the region, such as New Lease on Life.
“We all have a heart for helping the community and anything we can do to bring those programs and assistance to Graves County,” Allen said. “We love to do it. It’s just getting those funds to do so.”
The Mayfield Graves County Long-Term Recovery Group reported that its large-scale partner network, which includes New Lease on Life, Homes & Hope, Samaritan’s Purse, Fuller Center for Housing and others, has completed 165 homes and repaired 23 homes since the disaster.
“There are organizations that are working in Western Kentucky to help bridge that gap or find a long-term placement for someone,” Allen said. “Mayfield would benefit more from HUD and other state programs, but it’s something we’re working toward with the housing authority and organizations like ours.”
Like other long-term recovery efforts, Allen said that fulfilling housing needs is a gradual process that entails coordination and grant rewards among the nonprofit groups, city, and state and federal governments.
“We’ve applied with the Kentucky Housing Corporation for some of their programs to help build new units,” Allen said. “There are other organizations investing multi-unit rentals that are supposed to be built in Mayfield over the next five years, so that should alleviate some of the need.”
“There have been many state organizations like the Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund, Kentucky Colonels United and Red Cross that have stepped up,” Allen added. “We need to continue that process of bringing affordable housing to our area.”
For inquiries on housing assistance, call the Mayfield Graves Long-Term Recovery Group at 270-247-5022 or Mayfield Housing Authority at 270-247-6391.
Will Spencer is a reporter for the Mayfield Messenger.