Homelessness in Lexington is worsening. But emergency shelters are already full
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- Lexington’s homeless count rose 32% since 2020, reaching 925 individuals in 2025.
- Existing shelters offer only 498 beds, underscoring need for expanded infrastructure.
- EHI report urges city to build low-barrier shelter with centralized support services.
More people in Lexington are without homes, and there’s not enough resources to keep up.
The city needs to build an emergency shelter to address the homelessness crisis in Fayette County, according to a new report by EHI Consultants, a local community development firm.
There are 925 people in Lexington experiencing “literal homelessness,” according to Lexington’s annual point-in-time survey conducted in late January, which means they’re living in emergency shelters or on the streets.
The survey does not include other facets of homelessness, like people couch hopping or living in hotels.
Lexington has seen a 32% increase in homelessness since 2020, and an increase of 100 people since 2024.
There are only 498 shelter beds in the city for people coming directly off the street.
Lexington needs to build more beds, the EHI report said.
“The need is not hypothetical. It is real, it is immediate and it is growing,” said Joshua Mckinley, Executive Director of Arbor Youth Services, a shelter for unaccompanied youth.
The report from EHI, commissioned by the city government for $155,000, outlined the need to build a low-barrier emergency shelter, with services offered on site, like mental health treatment and transitional housing assistance.
Low-barrier shelters are meant to be more accessible by limiting the number of requirements to be allowed in. Low-barrier shelters accept people regardless of gender, age, identity, disability or other limiting factors, like owning a pet.
Professionals across the homelessness prevention and social work field urged the city to create more capacity to serve the homeless population at a city council meeting on Tuesday.
Ed Holmes, with EHI Consultants, said it would take years to see the shelter built, if the city decides to move forward.
What barriers do homeless people in Lexington face?
Sherri Baptiste, a supervisor at the Salvation Army, said Lexington’s homeless shelters have been stretched thin, and opening a new emergency shelter and service hub would help meet a ferocious need.
“Our shelter was not built to meet the growing demands we now face,” she said. “We are consistently operating at or near full capacity. Despite our best efforts, we simply cannot accommodate every individual in need.
“This gap between what we can offer and what is needed is one of the most urgent challenges we face … we risk turning people away not because they don’t need help, but because we physically cannot provide it.”
Arbor Youth Services houses individuals based on age. Families cannot stay at their shelter together, which has led many to deny service, Mckinley said.
“This is not a choice any parent should have to make, and yet it is a daily reality in our city,” he said.
“A city-funded family shelter would fill a glaring gap in our homelessness response system. It would ensure family unity, a critical component for the emotional and psychological well being of both parents and children. It would provide a safer, more stable environment for families facing housing insecurity. It would reduce barriers to accessing services, education and long term housing solutions.”
Low-barrier shelters are often aimed at underserved populations, like the elderly and people who otherwise can’t find safety in existing shelters.
The aging homeless population in Lexington faces barriers, like mobility issues and needing access to medication, that make current homeless shelters inaccessible to them, said Abigail Latimer, an assistant professor at the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work with over 15 years of experience as a social worker.
She said 27% of Lexington’s homeless population is over the age of 50.
“That’s hundreds of our neighbors in desperate need of age-appropriate support and housing,” Latimer said.
A centralized service hub would not only better serve the people experiencing homelessness, she said, but also improve public health and safety by reducing the number of people living on the streets.
“As homelessness continues to grow, both nationally and here in Lexington, our communities need to be prepared to step in and support our neighbors,” said Lynden Bond, another assistant professor at UK’s College of Social Work.
“One of the best ways we can do this is by ensuring that they have a safe place to access resources and shelter as they work to locate permanent housing.”
Another group that would benefit from a low-barrier shelter is the LGBTQ+ community, said David Shadd, director of programs at The Hope Center, Lexington’s largest homeless shelter.
He said there are a lot of people who need help in a way the community is not currently providing.
“A lot of trans individuals are really struggling with our current shelter system. It doesn’t meet their needs,” Shadd said. “They’re forced to make a choice that doesn’t really fit with their personal feelings or fit with who they think they are.”
Building more beds in an accessible shelter, he said, is the first step to filling the gaps in service across Lexington.
Mayor Linda Gorton created a homelessness task force at Tuesday’s meeting to discuss the best way to implement the EHI study’s recommendations.
The task force will meet in the fall.