COVID-19 Response: Community & Agency Actions Taken to Assist Our Most Vulnerable
COVID-19 response: LATEST UPDATES
One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund: Click here to donate or learn how to apply for funds.
- The One Louisville: COVID-19 Response Fund will provide flexible funding resources for rental assistance, childcare assistance, transportation aid, food access, utility assistance, pharmaceutical needs and other support as determined, via $1,000 payments to eligible households. Funds will also be made available to community-based organizations that are being hit hard by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To be eligible for support, individuals/households must be Jefferson County residents with an income at or below 100 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), which is determined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The AMI for the Louisville region is $76,400 for a four-person family (100 percent AMI). Applicants will be asked to offer proof of identity and supporting documents that demonstrate a loss of earned income due to the COVID-19 pandemic due to medical reasons, business closure, or school closure.
Businesses opening only for residents over 60 and those most vulnerable to COVID-19:
- Target (first hour of business on Wednesday)
- Dollar General (first hour of business every day)
- Wal-Mart (first hour of business every Tuesday between March 24 and April 28)
- Kroger (7-8 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
- Rainbow Blossom (first hour of business every day)
- Whole Foods (first hour of business every day)
- Costco (8-9 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday)
- Aldi (8:30-9:30 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday)
- Meijer (7-8 a.m. Mondays and Wednesdays)
- Sam's Club (7-9 a.m. Tuesday and Thursday)
- Big Lots (first hour of business every day)
- Fresh Market (8-9 a.m. Monday through Friday)
- Sav-A-Lot, Taylor Boulevard (10-11 a.m.)
- Trader Joe's (9-10 a.m. daily)
- Walgreen's (8-9 a.m. on Tuesday)
Bills:
- Louisville Water Company: LWC will suspend turn offs for non-payment. This is a temporary measure and customers should still pay their bill.
- LG&E: Until May 1, the utility will suspend disconnects for residential customers and waive new late fees.
- MSD will waive late fees from March 23 to May 1 and is offering a 30 percent discount on wastewater charges for customers who are 65 or older and have a yearly household income of $35,000 or less. To pursue the senior discount, please click here.
- Fifth Third Bank: Offering various deferrals, forbearances and late fee waivers based on program/loan. For specific details, please click here.
- Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program: Income-eligible residents of Louisville now have until April 30 to apply for funding to help with energy bills.
Meals:
- As of April 3, the Metro March for Meals, the meals pick-up program for seniors 60 year and older that began in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in Louisville, has ended. Louisville Metro Senior Nutrition, part of the Office of Resilience and Community Services, is focusing its limited funding by returning to its original intent of serving those already deemed eligible through the Meals on Wheels and Senior Congregate Meals programs, as well as an additional 255 people who are currently on the waiting lists for home-delivered programs. Going forward, there will be no distribution of meals at the seven sites that had been operating through the Metro March for Meals program since March 17, 2020. More than 83,000 frozen meals were handed out over that three-week period.
- Beginning Monday, April 6:
- The nearly 400 homebound senior clients served by Senior Nutrition's Meals on Wheels program will continue to receive their meal delivery once per week with a five-frozen meal pack until daily, hot meal delivery can resume. In addition, 255 pre-certified individuals will be added to home delivery routes over the course of April.
- Though the nearly 20 Senior Congregate Nutrition Sites across Jefferson County remain temporarily closed, the Senior Nutrition staff will continue working with congregate participants to ensure their nutritional needs are being met during this critical period.
- JCPS has set up 45 feeding sites; 37 at schools; 8 at apartment complexes. Breakfast and lunch served. Emergency feeding sites here. Meals are available to all children 18 years old or younger. JCPS will distribute meals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Students can get up to four meals on Monday and Wednesday and two on Friday.
- Dare to Care:
- Dare to Care’s Kids Cafe sites are providing Grab & Go meals for children 18 and under on weeknights.
- Distribution centers are operating per usual.
- UberEats is waiving all delivery fees for orders from independently owned restaurants.
Digital Access:
- Spectrum Support: Beginning Monday, March 16, Charter commits to the following:
- Charter will offer free Spectrum broadband and Wi-Fi access for 60 days to households with K-12 and/or college students and teachers who do not already have a Spectrum broadband subscription at any service level up to 100 Mbps. To enroll call 1-844-488-8395. A free self-installation kit will be provided to new student and educator households.
- Charter continues to offer Spectrum Internet Assist, a high-speed broadband program available to eligible low-income households
- Spectrum will not terminate service for residential or small business customers who face difficult economic circumstances related to the COVID-19 pandemic
-
Charter will not charge late fees for those customers facing difficult economic circumstances related to the pandemic
-
Spectrum does not have data caps or hidden fees.
- AT&T is offering 60 days of free broadband internet/WiFi services to families with children who receive SNAP benefits, free and reduced lunch at school, or are enrolled in Head Start.
- T-Mobile and Sprint are waiving all data caps on cell phones, and their customers can use their phones as WiFi hotspots for free.
Federal Government Relief:
- Congress passed and President Trump signed, on March 18, H.R. 6201, Families First Coronavirus Response Act. The Act provide economic relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The bill guarantees free testing or health care coverage for coronavirus testing. It also provides paid sick leave for some workers and offers additional funding for seniors, food assistance, and unemployment benefits. Click here and here to learn for what you may be eligible to receive.
- The IRS opened a new, online portal the week of April 13 for economic impact payments. The portal will allow taxpayers, once authenticated, to find out the status of their economic impact payments and, if no payment or check has been issued, they can provide their banking information for direct deposit. The portal is similar to the Where’s My Refund portal that is available for taxpayers to track the status of their federal tax refund.
- Treasury, IRS Launch Online Tool to Help Non-Filers Receive Economic Impact Payments: If you did not file a tax return in 2018 or 2019, please follow the directions below so you may recieve your economic impact payment
- Click here to go to visits the Internal Revenue Service's website.
- Click on “Non-Filers: Enter Payment Info Here.”
- Submit your full names and social security numbers (including for spouse and dependents), mailing address, bank account type, account and routing numbers.
State Government Relief:
- Governor Beshear announced on March 18 that all recipients of public assistance programs will automatically have their eligibility extended for three months. A re-application is not necessary. The assistance programs include food stamps and Medicaid. The Governor said all those that People lost their jobs and their work-related benefits due to COVID-19 can immediately apply for health coverage through the state’s Medicaid program.
- Per Governor Beshear on March 16, a seven-day waiting period is waived for any Kentuckian applying for unemployment benefits, and those unemployed due to COVID-19 are more likely to receive benefits than those that are unemployed for another reason. The Governor defined being unemployed by COVID-19 as when your employer has closed the business due to the virus or if you are quarantined. If it is expected that the individual will return to work when the business opens or when their quarantine is over, then that person meets the criteria as being unemployed by COVID-19 and could then be deemed eligible for benefits. Because the seven-day waiting period is now waived, if a Kentuckian is approved for benefits, the first payment they receive will be for two weeks of benefits and not just one, as is regular procedure.
- If you are filing for unemployment benefits, the State's Education and Workforce Development Cabinet, in order to serve the large influx of Kentuckians as efficiently as possible, has asked that Kentuckians calls their office on a schedule based on the first initial of their last name. Click here to learn how to apply for unemployment insurance.
Social Services:
- Association of Community Ministries: There are 15 Community Ministries in the Louisville area that serve residents from every zip code. Each community ministry is supported by member churches and faith-based groups residing in their service area. The Community Ministries have systems in place to provide emergency financial assistance for utilities and housing as well as food and household supplies. Neighborhood based offices will remain open during this challenging time while also taking precautions to reduce the risk to clients, volunteers, and staff.
Service industry:
- 610 Magnolia (partnership with Maker’s Mark): 7 days per week offering hundreds of to-go dinners, 2 per person limit. Other supplies like diapers, toilet paper and Tylenol on hand. 5:00-8:30 p.m. every day. Bring paycheck stub or proof of restaurant employment.
Taxes:
- On Friday, March 20, the deadline to file taxes was moved from April 15 to July 15.
- Property Taxes
- The Department of Revenue has moved back the collection process for real estate and personal property taxes 30 days due to COVID-19.
- A certificate of delinquency will not be created until May 15. Until then, you may please visit the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office website to pay property taxes. or use the drop box at the entrance to the Fiscal Court Building.
- Beginning May 16, payment plans may be requested from the Jefferson County Attorney’s Office.
- Eligible delinquent tax certificates are currently scheduled to be offered for sale on August 14 from its original date of July 17.
- Louisville Asset Building Coalition: Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) provides free tax preparation services for income-eligible households. Click here to schedule a virtual appointment with a tax preparer here.
Small Businesses:
- Click here to view our Economic Development team's page where you may find a list of resources available to small businesses
Housing/Evictions:
- For information on eviction prevention during COVID-19, please visit Develop Louisville webpage here.
- Jefferson County Sheriff and the Louisville Public Housing Authority has stopped issuing eviction notices.
- New Directions Housing Corporation is waiving late fees on rent due from its residents.
- REBOUND Inc. will suspend rental payments for renters that have lost their income from COVID-19.
- Louisville Affordable Housing Trust Fund will suspend payment for its Fifth Third HomeOwner's Assistance Loan Program for the next 60 days.
- Fuller Center for Housing is suspending all late fees associated with mortgage and lease payments.
- If you are currently in the Habitat for Humanity homebuyer program or have a Habitat loan and have suffered a loss of income, Habitat will work with you in every possible way.
- Housing Partnership Inc. is surveying all residents to ask how they have been affected by COVID-19 and determining what types of assistance will be developed based on the responses.
- LHOME will offer loan modifications to all existing borrowers if necessary.
Addiction Resources:
- The following organizations are ready to help those in need:
Libraries:
- While libraries are closed, patrons are encouraged to check out eBooks, eMagazines, and downloadable audiobooks, and stream movies and music online at LFPL.org.
- Students working on schoolwork are encouraged to take advantage of online Research Tools.
- LFPL is not enforcing late fees.
- Pick up dates have been extended and hold requests have been suspended so that patrons will not lose their place in line for items.
International population:
-
Download and share COVID-19 flyers translated in 14 different languages.
-
Sign up for the Globalization e-newsletter to for updates in different languages.
-
USCIS encourages all, including those that are undocumented, to take the appropriate medical steps if they are experiencing coronavirus symptoms. The Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds final rule does not restrict access to testing, screening, or treatment of communicable diseases, including COVID-19.
