Renters' handbook brings new community resource for Southern Kentucky tenants

Last week, several Southern Kentucky members gathered on WKU’s campus to celebrate the long-awaited launch of an informational and educational handbook. The Homeless and Housing Coalition of South Central Kentucky hopes the Barren River Area Renters' handbook will help lower eviction rates and improve the experience of renting a home for the more than 67,000 renters in the Barren River Area.

The handbook walks tenants through the rental experience from starting the search for a home, to negotiating a lease that protects the family and not just the landlord. It also covers topics such as communicating with landlords, moving out, getting back a rental deposit, and what steps to take if an eviction is pending. The handbook is specific to the Barren River area with helpful contact information for many community resources.

Thanks to the help of WKU Sociology classes, who developed a workshop curriculum, the handbook will also be used as a resource in several free community workshops to be hosted by coalition members and other local organizations.

Project coordinator, Dana Beasley Brown explained, “Through the workshops, we’re able to engage renters one-on-one and walk through some common problems that renters face and how to avoid them by learning how to look at your lease carefully.”

The project began about two years ago through the work of the Bowling Green Housing Coalition and was initially funded through a grant from the Alive Center at WKU. Additional funding is currently being sourced to widen the project and provide more printing. The handbook will be available for distribution in English, Spanish, Swahili, and Arabic. 

Several community members were honored during the release party, with special thanks and appreciation to the organizations and individuals that make up the Homeless and Housing Coalition, Warren Elementary School, ImageWest, the WKU Sociology Department, and Dana Beasley Brown who worked tirelessly on each step of the project.

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The Homeless and Housing Coalition of South Central Kentucky works together to create equal and just options for our community through awareness, empowerment and action. Meetings are at 10 a.m. every 2nd Tuesday of the month at the Alive Center at 1818 US 31W By-pass in Bowling Green. 

You can access the digital version of the Barren River Area Renters' Handbook HERE.