LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- The founder of the Kristy Love Foundation has recovery homes on Date Street in west Louisville that serve up to 17 human trafficking survivors at a time.
"When people are sleeping, I'm out saving lives and getting girls off the street," said Angela Renfro, one of Louisville's biggest fighters against human trafficking. "Instead of us finding another body in the alley or the river, we can actually bring that girl in and give her the proper treatment she needs."
But some west Louisville residents say halfway houses are trashing their neighborhood, so one man started a petition to kick a recovery home off his street.
"There's a house across the street right there," said Dino Johnson, pointing to the transitional housing properties on his street. "There's a red brick house right there."
Johnson lives two doors down from the Kristy Love home, which opened two years ago. He started collecting signatures from neighbors, asking the city to deny the home's application for a conditional use permit.
"Parking, loud noise, drug transactions, drugs, using drugs, the neighbors smell pot coming from the residence," Johnson said. "Those are the chief concerns."
"I have grandchildren," said Diana Hollingworth-Burrus, who lives nearby. "I don't even let them come out and play. I'd rather leave and go far out to a park or go somewhere different, because it's just too much."
"It's just an eyesore," Johnson added. "You see the prostitution, you see them running out to cars, putting their hands in cars, going back in the house with their hand balled up. That's a transaction."
But Renfro said neighbors' allegations are "appalling."
"Oh my gosh," Renfro said, fighting tears. "We know for a fact, if there was a drug deal or prostitution here, that the law enforcement would be here."
A public meeting will be held at the home, at 1830 Date St., at 6 p.m. Wednesday.
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