COVINGTON, Ky. — Experts tell WCPO 9 that the need for housing continues to grow across Northern Kentucky.
On Monday morning, the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce explained how it plans to work with organizations and cities across the area to find solutions with a new Northern Kentucky Housing Blueprint.
The new blueprint is based on data from other organizations in 2023 and earlier in 2025, stating that Northern Kentucky will need 6,650 new homes to support economic development in the next five years.
“We've been on a bit of a slide for several years now,” said Tami Wilson, the NKY Chamber of Commerce's VP of Government Relations & Business Advocacy.
WATCH: How the NKY Chamber of Commerce plans to increase housing opportunities
The blueprint outlines four distinct plans to boost housing across the eight counties of Northern Kentucky.
1. Create a Housing Fund to support regional priorities
Wilson explained that a fund would consist of public, private and philanthropic dollars being put toward different needs to support housing and homeowners in the community.
"For new homes, for repairs on existing dwellings, and as well as give some financial boost to new home buyers and first-time home buyers," Wilson said.
2. Explore innovative pilots like an Employer-Assisted Housing Program
The blueprint includes a breakdown of a model used by the University of Kentucky, helping university employees find housing if they meet specific thresholds.
The blueprint reports that a one-time $5 million investment would provide homes for over 125 local employees’ families.
3. Add a variety of housing types by building Missing Middle Housing
Wilson explained that “middle housing” can be a variety of units that can provide housing to multiple families.
"Duplexes, triplexes, multifamily dwellings," Wilson said.
The blueprint reports that “most communities lack homes between single-family residences and large multifamily apartment buildings, hence ‘missing middle.’”
So the plan would be to fill those gaps, providing affordable spaces to live.
4. Increase skilled labor through Workforce Development
Over the past two months, I’ve covered multiple local leaders trying to improve access to housing in Northern Kentucky. In May, I spoke with Covington Mayor Ron Washington, as the city is working to sell unused or abandoned properties to developers, hoping to transform them into livable homes.
In June, I met with the director of the Housing Authority of Covington, as his organization is planning to sell the City Heights Complex, hoping to find a developer to revitalize the once-vibrant neighborhood.
As the Chamber gets to work, I asked Wilson what the steps are to get these plans in action.
“We really think we can make headway, especially on the housing fund. We've got some really great foundational organizations here that we’ve already begun to talk with and that will take that torch up. That’s their area of expertise, so we figure they will just take that to the next realm,” Wilson said.
You can read more about the NKY Chamber's Housing Blueprint here:
