When a family in Louisville, Kentucky, needed housing assistance, a local Black Lives Matter chapter stepped in to help.

In August, Lisa Thomas-Lewis was told by the Louisville Metro Housing Authority that there wasn't any housing available which would accommodate her family of seven. Her husband, Michael Lewis, was not allowed to live in their public housing because of his criminal record.

According to Insider Louisville, Thomas-Lewis lived in a neighborhood with better retail outlets and fresher, healthier food options. Now, they are forced to relocate while Michael works to get his record expunged with the help of the Louisville Urban League.

The family went to Black Lives Matter Louisville for help in October. Organizer Chanelle Helm showed the family a house the organization bought as part of its new initiative. The chapter has purchased five homes—two on the South Side and three in west Louisville—to combat rising gentrification. And this is just the beginning.

“We bought our first home at 644 S. 37th St. for $5,000 in January, and some of the others were donated to us. We have raised about $50,000 so far to buy more homes and help renovate the ones we have now," Helm told Insider. "We are focusing on vacant houses in the West End because that is where these mamas and babies need help.”

A report released on November 14 from Metropolitan Housing shows how gentrification will push out families led by women in the West End area of the city. Rising rent, increased gentrification and limited affordable housing will only push out low-income Black families.

Black Lives Matter Louisville wants homeowners in the west to donate their homes to them instead of the Louisville Metro Landbank Authority.

“The Landbank is for investors, not people in these poor communities where the vacant houses are located. You need the renovation money in the bank to get one of those houses,” Helm said. “The families we are working with can’t do that. With all of this development going on, the current residents need to be proactive about protecting their communities. We believe housing is a right, not a luxury.”

Other chapters are adopting a similar program. Black Lives Matter Cambridge has teamed with housing advocates to provide affordable housing in Massachusetts. The Black Lives Matter movement started from the killing of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin by neighborhood watchmen George Zimmerman.

Since 2012, police brutality, criminal justice reform and mass incarceration have become the primary areas of focus. Co-founder Patrisse Cullors spoke at UC Santa Barbara reflecting on the early days of the movement.

“This concept of Black Lives Matter has a lineage. It’s a part of the Black Power Movement,” she said. “We stand on the shoulders of giants.”

The movement has also partnered with the #MeToo movement and the Women's March to advocate for women's rights. And it appears housing and fighting against gentrification are on the docket.

“Contrary to the media, a hashtag doesn’t start an actual movement. It takes skills; it takes organizing; it takes commitment, and it takes sacrifice,” she said.

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