Homelessness in Lexington has declined significantly over the past seven years. In presenting a five-year strategic plan, Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention Director Polly Ruddick said the effort to end homelessness is real.
Ruddick told council members Tuesday the need for shelters will remain, but only for short-term stays. “And the goal would be for those people who do come in your system, into the emergency shelter system or on the street, that you can rapidly re-house them at the level of assistance needed to stabilize them back in their own home within 30 days. That’s actually the goal,” said Ruddick.
The report offered to the Lexington Council showed 1544 homeless people in 2014. That number was 593 during this year’s count. Ruddick said an estimated seven million dollars annually would be needed to end homelessness. While there were 16 organizations partnering with the city to address homelessness in 2014, that number today is 75. “We have to be creative in our housing solutions and that’s when we talk about diverse housing stock, but not only that, but diverse housing options. So, is it shared housing, is it sober living. It is a supportive shared living situation that’s maybe monitored 24/7. We need to be diverse,” explained Ruddick.
Ruddick said homelessness is a community issue that requires the entire community to solve it. In citing successes in recent years, Ruddick spoke about declaring an end to veteran homelessness, creating 48 programs, and building a coordinated entry system.
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