LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The final results of Lexington's 2025 homeless street survey were released today, showing a decrease in the number of people experiencing homelessness. However, officials say the results don't tell the whole story.
The study found 2,868 people experiencing homelessness, a drop of 5.5% from last year. But experts believe there's a legal reason the numbers have gone down: the Safer Kentucky Act, also known as House Bill 5.
"We have to acknowledge the results of House Bill 5 and the Safer Kentucky Act because that act has made people more difficult to find," said Jarred Paull with the Central Kentucky Housing & Homeless Initiative. "People are hiding. People don't want to be seen, and we have to remember with this segment of the population, people don't want to be found. And now people are trying not to be arrested and accosted because of House Bill 5. So that does play a role in this."
Gregory Seawright, a member of the executive committee of the Street Voice Council, is no stranger to long and cold nights on the streets of Lexington.
"If you ain't never had the experience of going hungry, sleeping up under the bridges, sleeping in cars, you don't understand," Seawright said.
Members of the Street Voice Council, plus the Catholic Action Center and Central Kentucky Housing and Homeless Initiative spent time in August conducting the third annual street survey. They completed nearly 700 surveys across the city.
Tayna Fogle with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth also took part in the survey. As someone who once experienced homelessness, she says the Safer Kentucky Act has essentially criminalized someone who is down on their luck and needs help, not jail.
"That means that these folks that you see behind you, if they're caught in a tent sleeping outside, if they're on any green space with a chair or with a bean, a bag, a bean bag, they could be subject to arrest," Fogle said.
Survey results found that 223 people reported being harassed for sleeping outside. But Seawright hopes the results of the survey will bring change in the form of more shelters.
"You know, they only come out at night and it's a shame that they have to live like that. But, with the grace of God, maybe someone is hearing us, our cry, our prayers to help us in these times of need and crisis. This is an emergency," Seawright said.
An emergency that Catholic Action Center's Ginny Ramsey says is not going away.
"Let's never forget that whatever these numbers show, these are our brothers and sisters, these are our children, these are our elderly and disabled, the numbers of families that are experiencing homelessness," Ramsey said.
