As part of Bloom Kentucky, “sprout outs” are our way of giving a meaningful shout out to programs fostering hope and resilience in communities across the Commonwealth. We’re proud to spotlight the work of South Louisville Community Ministries (SLCM) and its commitment to ensuring families have stable housing. 

Located in Jefferson County, SLCM is a nonprofit organization providing emergency assistance and compassionate advocacy for neighbors in crisis. SLCM offers a comprehensive range of services to families in South Louisville, including:

 

  • Food pantry and food assistance
  • Housing and utility assistance
  • Basic needs including diapers, formula, and wipes
  • Job training and workforce support
  • Neighborhood development 

It also operates the Neighborhood Network in partnership with multiple community organizations, to streamline access to food assistance, transportation, rental and housing support, and other critical resources. 

Housing Instability & Impact on Kids

SLCM has witnessed firsthand the toll eviction takes on families with young children. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they helped distribute emergency rental assistance through the federal Emergency Rental Assistance (ERA) program to households facing eviction. Data from the Neighborhood Network shows that approximately 15% of households requesting emergency rental assistance between December 2023 and January 2025 included children ages 0-5. 

A growing body of research demonstrates how deeply housing stability and quality affect child development and health. The first five years of life are critical for brain development, yet traumatic experiences such as homelessness, eviction, and housing instability can disrupt this essential period of growth. Housing instability before age five is associated with behavioral issues, toxic stress associated with Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and delays in kindergarten readiness. 

Home from the Start – Ensuring Every Child has Stable Housing

Recognizing the unique impact of eviction on families with children and the essential role of stable housing in early development, SLCM launched Home from the Start, a community-wide initiative in Jefferson County dedicated to ensuring that no child ages 0-5 experiences eviction or homelessness. 

SLCM Executive Director, Clare Wallace explains that the initiative is driven by the simple conviction: a child’s earliest years are too important, and a parent’s potential too sacred, to be destabilized by the loss of a home.
Through SLCM’s Neighbor Network, Home from the Start:

  • Identifies early warning signs in partnership with property managers, healthcare providers, and childcare centers to intervene before eviction court filings occur.
  • Provides rent stabilization, landlord mediation, childcare access, workforce pathways, financial coaching, and peer support to families at risk of eviction. 
  • Collaborates with partners like Play Cousins Collective and ChooseWell Communities to strengthen support for families 

By 2029, the initiative aims to end eviction for families with young children in Jefferson County by expanding prevention systems, strengthening economic mobility pathways for parents, advancing family-centered policies, and establishing a shared community prevention to provide timely, flexible assistance. 

SLCM understands the impact that stable housing can have on a young family. 

“When parents are secure in their homes, they can nurture, work, study, and contribute. When children experience stability early, attachment strengthens, development flourishes, and the trajectory of their lives shifts,” Clare Wallace says. 

Environments Shape Our Development

The environments in which children live, work, and grow can contribute to adversity and trauma as well as their resilience. Ensuring access to basic needs and strengthening economic supports for families helps prevent ACEs by reducing financial hardship, stress, and instability that can create unsafe or unhealthy environments for children. 

That’s why Bloom Kentucky is advocating for state policy and budget priorities to help prevent and mitigate ACEs. 

Take Action this Session for Kids & Families!

Kentucky has a meaningful opportunity to promote family housing stability during the 2026 legislative session by making common sense changes to the eviction process. Representative Susan Witten has introduced House Bill 338. This legislation would:

  • Promote family housing stability by ensuring that households with dismissed eviction do not have an eviction added to their housing record that can limit future housing opportunities. 
  • Protect the future well-being and housing security of children by preventing minors from being named on eviction filings. 

Track the progress of HB 338 on Kentucky Youth Advocates’ Bill Tracker and take action by urging your state Representative and Senator to vote YES on HB 338.