Ashley and her fiancé John weren’t directly affected by the tornado in Bowling Green, but they were indirectly affected by the housing situation that followed the disaster and the pandemic. In essence, they pay more than they can afford to pay to rent a 4-bedroom home for them and their five children.
"When we started looking to move," she said, "between COVID and the tornadoes, we realized there was no place to go, and the places that there was, I mean, it wasn’t efficient for the size of our family, or it was way, way too expensive."
What's more, they were living in a substandard situation with mold, leaky plumbing, and a rodent problem, and the landlord was not forthcoming with help.
But in 2023, thanks to funding from Kentucky Housing Corporation, among other entities, they will move into the first home they have ever owned: an affordable four-bedroom Habitat for Humanity townhouse in Bowling Green.
"This is going to be the nicest place we’ve ever lived," she said. "It’s going to be ours. It’s a good feeling."
Photo by Steve Morrow