Kentucky camping ban has led to a rise in citations, Lexington advocates say more is needed
LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Data shows several Kentucky counties have seen a rise in charges since the implementation of House Bill 5, a law aimed at banning people from sleeping on public streets.
The Catholic Action Center conducted its fourth annual street survey on Aug. 26, offering a look at the state of homelessness in Lexington.
Ginny Ramsey, co-founder and director of the Catholic Action Center, has worked with people experiencing homelessness for nearly three decades. She says the recently released citation numbers don’t tell the whole story.
“I’m not surprised, but I feel like that these are underreported, and the reason I say that is the way they would be reporting them may not include the loitering,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey says police have been enforcing House Bill 5 since it became law, but she believes the problem lies elsewhere.
“How on earth can we enforce this unless there are enough shelter beds for people to be in. You basically are enforcing a law that says if you’re too poor to have a place to sleep, then that is against the law,” Ramsey said.
Since August 2024, Lexington police have issued about 110 unlawful camping citations. The department says most cases are responses to calls for service.
“We wanna find long term solutions for people and actually help people in these situations, but the majority of calls that we respond to — I think it’s important to realize that these are complaint driven,” Sgt. Bige Towery of the Lexington Police Public Information Office said.
Towery says the department has emphasized outreach over citations since the law took effect.
“We would much rather help someone and provide resources and put them in connection with many of the resources that are available here in Lexington than to cite someone or arrest them,” Towery said.
In a statement, Lexington Police said the department has and will continue to work with partners such as the Office of Homelessness and Prevention, the Community Paramedicine Program, and other community resources to offer opportunities of support.
“This law allows officers to use their discretion. We trust our officers to make the right decisions and trust that the actions they take will be justified. As Chief (Lawrence) Weathers has said from the beginning, if we can help someone and are able to avoid taking them to jail, we will. There are situations, however, where charging individuals must occur. It is also important to point out most of these situations originate from complaints received,” the statement said.
Ramsey says a solution is attainable, but will require more affordable housing options and additional shelter capacity for people who have nowhere else to go.
