KHC Honors the Life and Legacy of F. Lynn Luallen
FRANKFORT, Kentucky — Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC) mourns the passing of its longest-serving executive director, F. Lynn Luallen, who is known as the father of affordable housing in the Commonwealth.
Luallen served four separate terms as the chief executive of KHC: 1976 to 1980, 1984 to 1988, 1992 to 1993, and 1996 to 2004. In each one he expanded the organization’s impact and ability to provide affordable housing. During his tenure, KHC became a self-supporting agency (1978), hosted the first Kentucky Affordable Housing Conference (1985), and assisted KHC’s 50,000th homeowner (2000), among other accomplishments.
In recognition of his vision, imagination, and devotion to affordable housing, KHC created the Lynn Luallen Innovation Award in 2022 and named him the first recipient at the Corporation’s 50th anniversary celebration.
“Lynn Luallen is a great Kentuckian and outstanding administrator,” said former Gov. Paul Patton in a video accompanying the awards presentation. “He’s done as much to improve the lives of Kentuckians as almost anyone I can think of.”
Luallen worked closely with Gov. Patton in the late 1990s on Renaissance Kentucky, an initiative to revitalize downtowns and improve housing and other opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth. Renaissance Kentucky received the John J. Gunther Blue Ribbon Best Practices Award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and was selected as a regional semifinalist in the Council for State Governments Innovations Awards Program. More than 70 communities received support from the initiative.
“He took the program further than I could imagine it going and stayed with it for the entire time,” Gov. Patton added. “It’s one of the proudest achievements of my administration.”
“Lynn devoted his career to making Kentucky a better place to live,” said Winston Miller, executive director and CEO of Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC). “He thought globally about local challenges, always searching for new ways KHC could enhance its programs and offerings to expand affordable housing and strengthen communities across the Commonwealth. He inspired countless people to be better leaders, better Kentuckians, and better people. Lynn will be deeply missed by his colleagues, partners, and the countless Kentuckians whose lives he touched.”
KHC extends its deepest condolences to Luallen’s family, friends, and all who had the privilege of knowing him.
