Rural communities lack resources, plans for dealing with the homeless

They may be harder to spot than their urban counterparts, but thousands of rural folks don't have a place to call home. 

"Rural America has nearly 29 million homes, but experts say that’s not enough to house the roughly 46 million people who live there," reports Kristi Eaton for Barn Raiser. A Housing Assistance Council report that analyzed data from 2010 to 2023 concluded that “rural America is losing affordable housing at an alarming rate, fueling a growing housing crisis." A lack of affordable rural rental property is adding to the problem.

Even when rural residents find a home, high mortgage or monthly rental costs can take up a big percentage of their income. Eaton explains, "The report found that over 5.6 million people, or about a quarter of rural households, pay more than 30% of their monthly income on housing costs, and less than half of rural homeowners own their houses outright."

With rural housing in short supply and home ownership or rental costs beyond the reach of many, rural homelessness has become more prevalent and its solutions harder to come by. Liam Niemeyer of the Kentucky Lantern shares the story of Mallie Luken as an example of what homelessness can look like in rural America. 

Neimeyer begins Luken's story as many homeless stories begin -- with the local police attempting to manage homelessness without needed resources. He writes, "Pastor Jennifer Banks was still a relative newcomer to this Western Kentucky town on the night in September when she watched through a security camera as a police officer brought a woman in a wheelchair to the church and 'dumped her in our parking lot.'"

Pastor Banks recognized the woman. Banks had met Luken the day before at an Arby's parking lot where she'd given Luken a plate of food and they prayed together. Now police were bringing her to her church's parking lot. Banks told Neimeyer, “I had to leave her there [in the Arbys's parking lot] because I didn’t have anywhere for her to go. And then the next day was when they dumped her in our parking lot."

Luken and her faithful dog, Blaze.
(Photo by Austin Anthony, Ky. Lantern)

Luken hadn't planned on being homeless or sleeping in parking lots. Neimeyer explains, "Luken, 70, a widow, was down to her last few dollars. She had asked her former pastor to drive her from the nearby county where she was living to Muhlenberg County because she remembered an old ad for the Central Inn, a motel in Central City, and thought she could afford a night there."

Luken didn't make it to the Central Inn and ended up sleeping in parking lots, despite several people knowing she didn't have a place to stay. Neimeyer reports, "Banks’ community was ill-prepared to respond to that kind of housing emergency. That realization has served as a catalyst for the Bankses and others in Muhlenberg County who want to fill gaps they see in services and housing. They have met resistance and support. . ."

To read more about Luken's story and how Muhlenberg County is grappling with homelessness services, click here.