Updated on Wednesday, Sept 25, 2024 at 8:57 p.m.
A street survey from Lexington’s Catholic Action Center shows the city’s homeless population has grown to 3,034 people. That’s an increase of 25.9 percent since last year.
The survey shows a 24.1 percent rise in the unsheltered population, and a 15.6 percent decrease in those living in temporary housing with friends or family.
Advocates like Ramsey also reported those experiencing homelessness in Kentucky’s rural counties are coming to Lexington to find more resources.
The portion of that number accounting for those sheltered, unsheltered or in transitional housing is also 60 percent higher than the city’s survey earlier this year. LexCount reported a population of 825.
The Catholic Action Center survey also accounts for those in hospitals, detention centers or recovery programs.
Ginny Ramsey is the center’s director.
“Our methodology is the same,” Ramsey said. “We pulled all the things that weren't counted in the HUD count so that we could make it apples and apples."
But, a statement from Commissioner of Housing Advocacy Charlie Lanter says they question the Catholic Action Center’s methodology compared to the city survey.
Lanter says they’ve requested info on how duplication was avoided, and what organizations were included year-by-year to avoid inflating numbers.
“Without it, we question some of the data, particularly when compared to the annual LexCount, which offers full transparency regarding its methodology and what people and organizations are counted,” Lanter said in a statement to WEKU.
Advocates expressed a worry Lexington doesn’t have enough shelter to accommodate the surge.
But David Peale from Louisville-based Peale Workforce Solutions says they’ve bought property they intend to use to house 200 homeless people this winter.
“We secured a facility for $1.3 million but we keep getting hit with the zoning is bad, or this or that,” Peale said. “I know that when a community wants a business here, there's conditional use for these types of things.”
Peale says they’d like to open the shelter November 1 if they get zoning approval.
The full results from the Catholic Action Center survey are available here.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect a comment provided by the Commissioner of Housing Advocacy to WEKU Wednesday evening.
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