The Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention has made improvements with a new position and will adopt new recommendations from the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness
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The Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention has made improvements with a new position and will adopt new recommendations from the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness
On Tuesday, Council’s Social Services and Public Safety (SSPS) Committee will receive an annual update from the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention (OHPI).
The office coordinates, funds, and manages Lexington’s homelessness response system to assist housing insecure individuals with resource navigation and crisis planning. They also lead strategic planning, public policy advocacy, and community engagement to build equitable solutions to homelessness.
This year, the OHPI’s report says that over $8 million has been invested in the city’s efforts to address homelessness. This is allocated through $2.7 million in federal HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) Program grants, $2.01 million for local emergency shelter operations, $2 million for winter weather response, and $1.65 million through the Innovative and Sustainable Solutions Fund.
A new Encampment Coordinator position was filled this year, and the role improved the city’s ability to track encampment costs, clean up encampments, address complex issues that involve multiple divisions, and generate positive outcomes for residents.
The presentation explains that 41 cleanups across 37 unique locations were conducted in FY26. Improved tracking and cross-division coordination drove the average cleanup cost down by 25%, to $2,234.70, compared to FY25.
FY26 has also seen substantial improvements in street outreach and homelessness diversion, driven by program expansion and targeted financial relief.
The Hope Center Street Outreach Team connected with over 580 people in the past year. This led to a 59% exit rate to housing destinations, averaging 10 permanent housing placements per month. Also, the city’s Housing Flex Fund provided flexible financial aid to people facing housing insecurity, which diverted 119 households from entering homelessness and helped 48 households secure permanent housing.
Lexington’s homeless population, however, is still growing.
The 2026 LexCount details that 968 people are currently experiencing homelessness in Lexington, which is up from FY25’s count of 925.
Looking ahead, OHPI will adopt the recommendations presented by the Mayor’s Task Force on Homelessness as its official strategic roadmap. The plan details 5 priority recommendations and 15 longer-term goals to improve the city’s homelessness response system.
The Task Force has 5 priority and 15 long-term recommendations to address homelessness in Lexington.
Councilmembers heard about a proposed development liaison position. Peer cities have tried something similar.
In Tuesday, January 13th’s Social Services & Public Safety Committee meeting, Jeff Herron, the city's Homelessness Prevention Manager, will present an update on the city’s street outreach services and homeless encampment response.
Cities like Lexington and Louisville have comprehensive reports and task forces dedicated to housing needs. But statewide statistics suggest homelessness is rising at a higher rate outside of its cities, in growing areas like Ashland and Morehead.
