LEXINGTON, Ky. (Jan. 18, 2018) – On Wednesday, Jan. 24, the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention will partner with community homeless shelter providers to conduct a count of homeless individuals and families in Fayette County as part of the 2018 LexCount.
LexCount is a point-in-time snapshot of the homeless population in Lexington and Fayette County. The count includes people who are temporarily residing in emergency shelters and transitional housing programs, as well those who are unsheltered. Volunteer groups comprised of community shelter providers, individuals who were formerly homeless and people who are currently homeless will all help in conducting the count.
Last year, 1,051 individuals were counted. This number included 69 children living in emergency shelter or in transitional housing. No children were found to be living unsheltered. This is a 32 percent decrease in homelessness since this same count occurred in January 2014.
The count is extremely important to Lexington as it gives a continuous longitudinal look at the impact Lexington is having on reducing and ending homelessness. Understanding the scope of an area’s homeless population allows stakeholders to more effectively target resources, which, in turn, reduces the inefficient and costly use of other valuable resources in the community.
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