The last tenant occupying City Heights, a well-known public housing development in Covington, moved out on Monday, ending the 71-year operation of the largest public housing complex in Northern Kentucky.
“Everyone has completely moved out at this point,” said Steve Arlinghaus, the executive director of the Housing Authority of Covington, at the housing authority’s annual public hearing on Wednesday. “Everything went extremely smooth, I think. We’re very very pleased.”
City Heights, originally called Ida Spence Homes, began operating its 366 units in 1953. Federal authorities officially approved closing the complex in 2021. A city press release from October of that year characterized the units as “severely deteriorated, outdated, and beyond saving.”
A study of housing in Northern Kentucky has revealed troubling trends for housing in the region, with the largest need being for “workforce housing” for households earning between $15 and $25 per hour, with monthly housing costs between $500 and $1,500. The region needs about 3,000 more housing units to provide for people within that income range, according to the study. The demand for one- to two-bedroom rentals and owned properties consistently exceeds their supply, while supply for three and four-bedroom properties consistently exceeds demand. The study suggests that the region needs to build 6,650 housing units to support economic development in the next five years, which equates to 1,330 units per year. Read more here.
Understanding NKY’s housing shortage
Following the federal government’s OK, the housing authority began dispossessing the apartments and relocating the tenants to other subsidized housing throughout the city and region.
Former occupants of City Heights did not attend the hearing on Wednesday.
Arlinghaus read from a letter he’d penned that he plans to send out in a newsletter to housing authority staff and community partners later this month.
“In total, eligible City Heights families received more than $270,000 in financial assistance for their moves through the agency’s relocation process, averaging between $1,100-$1,700 per family based on size household,” the letter reads. “Many families received financial assistance through federal ARPA funds, administered by the City of Covington, to pay for outstanding utility debt. In total, nearly $50,000 in ARPA funds were provided to eligible families.”
Now that the last tenant has moved out, the housing authority will begin selling the property. Any money received in the sale will be reinvested into improving facilities and infrastructure for the remaining housing authority properties, especially Latonia Terrace and Golden Tower. The authority hopes to put the property on the market by late summer or early autumn.
Read an in-depth story about life in City Heights from 2016 written by former River City News Associate Editor Bryan Burke below.