Kentucky Chamber Kicks Off “Listening Tour” on Kentucky’s Future and Current Housing Needs

The Kentucky Chamber held an event in Corbin Tuesday to kick off a listening tour to discuss Kentucky’s current and future housing needs and how it relates to workforce and talent attraction in the Commonwealth.

Dr. Charles Aull, executive director of the Kentucky Chamber’s Center for Policy and Research, presented housing data across the state and how it could lead to future challenges in terms of limiting growth.

During the presentation, Aull shared that “From a statewide perspective, Kentucky’s housing market is already showing signs of significant stress, with too few housing options on the market, an aging housing supply, and housing costs that exceed what many Kentucky families can afford. Communities that have conducted housing needs studies have shown a need for major increases in available housing options.”

The discussion with professionals from Whitley, Laurel, and Knox counties then shifted to identifying specific housing needs of the area in terms of price, location, size, and several other factors.

Community members said it was far more difficult for recent graduates to stay in the region immediately following college because starting salaries could not keep up with inflation, especially as it relates to housing affordability.

In a survey of audience members, 75% agreed that housing challenges were holding back economic growth in their region, and 80% of respondents said that housing in the community was not affordable to most working families.

The Kentucky Chamber of Commerce plans to host additional listening tours across the state in the coming months. Stay tuned for future tour announcements to see how you can get involved in the discussion.