Louisville, KY
Housing | 2025
Analyzed the gap between the supply of and the demand for accessible, affordable housing for residents with disabilities.
National data and local anecdotal evidence reveal a critical shortage of affordable and accessible housing for people with disabilities—but no one has fully measured how big the problem is in Louisville, Kentucky. This lack of reliable data prevents meaningful policy action to address the city’s accessible housing gap. With data on the supply of and demand for accessible housing, housing funders, developers, and policymakers can understand the need and begin to address the issue. To this end, Louisville-based disability advocacy organization Gathering Strength produced the first comprehensive study of the city’s accessible, affordable housing landscape.
In partnership with the Community Foundation of Louisville, the research team, led by residents with disabilities, analyzed population and housing data to determine disability prevalence across demographic factors, assess current accessible housing supply, forecast future needs, and identify racial and economic disparities. Disability rates for individuals vary by age, income, race, and geography. For example, disability rates in Louisville’s neighborhoods range from a low of 2.4 percent to a high of 16 percent. Overall, the team estimated that there is 1 accessible housing unit in Louisville for every 6 households that need one.
Gathering Strength and the Community Foundation of Louisville published the findings and recommendations to expand accessible housing in Louisville. The report covered specific ways to change regulations and policies; facilitate community engagement and advocacy; improve data collection and tracking of units; and enhance funding, financing, and incentives.
Project data will be available to the Kentucky Housing Corporation, the state housing finance agency, as they establish criteria for funding and priorities for allocation of affordable housing resources in 2027 and beyond. The agency is also collaborating with Gathering Strength to develop new voluntary accessibility guidelines for their single-family housing. The research also spurred new connections between Gathering Strength and nonprofit housing developers.
The completion of this project provides hard data that cannot be ignored—showing that accessible housing is not just a legal requirement, but a health, equity, and human rights issue. With this research, Louisville can start to remove long-standing barriers and build a more inclusive future for all.