Lexington’s annual snapshot of homeless persons, called Lex Count, took place late Wednesday night.
Jeff Herron is the homelessness prevention manager for the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government. He says they looked for unhoused people in three places: emergency shelters, transitional housing and outdoors.
“Capturing the number of individuals experiencing unsheltered homeless is much more difficult, so we have enlisted over 150 volunteers who are going to be canvassing dozens of outdoor locations where persons experiencing unsheltered homelessness have been known to sleep or reside.”
The volunteers came with care packages and advice on where to find shelter.
Herron says the results help the city tailor programs to meet the needs of homeless persons, with the goal of lowering the number. He says the federal government requires a street-count every year in exchange for housing aid, but the city conducts it annually.
“We get information such as how many individuals are experiencing homelessness versus the number of families, how many might have a disabling condition, how many might be experiencing chronic homelessness.”
Last year’s snapshot found 7-hundred and 15 homeless people in Lexington.
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