69 counties across the state.

A legislative task force focused on housing, held its first meeting on Monday.

The task force was created by Senate President Robert Stivers and House Speaker David Osborne.

The group is reviewing current access and availability of housing in Kentucky, including a look at housing costs testifying today, the Kentucky Housing Corporation which said Kentucky needs more than 200,000 more houses and that that need isn't just in larger cities.

>> In our view, the housing supply shortage is Kentucky's most urgent issue.

I'm an affordable housing professional.

I am not here to ask you all to invest more money in just affordable housing.

I do not think that is the solution that Kentucky needs because what we're seeing is well, Kentucky housing for 50 plus years has been investing in affordable housing because there's not enough supply in the overall marketplace.

We're losing ground and serving the folks we try to serve the overall marketplace needs more housing and we need kind of a systematic approach that helps Kentucky be able to build and and and get, you know, brought to market more housing to meet our economic and population growth.

>> The task force will meet again next month that they are to submit a report to legislative leadership before December, a sign that lawmakers could consider the state housing needs in the 2025