‘We’ve never seen numbers like this’: Catholic Action Center concerned with growing homelessness in Lexington

The Catholic Action Center and city officials in Lexington counted the city's unhoused population ahead of the winter months.

Lexington, Ky (WTVQ): Homelessness in Lexington is growing problem, according to the Catholic Action Center.

“This is the 24th year of the Catholic Action Center, we’ve never seen numbers like this,” said Ginny Ramsey, the Director and co-founder of the Catholic Action Center. “We’ve never seen the amount of the elderly, disabled, and families living in cars, have children living in cars, can’t get in any shelter,” she said.

Ramsey says the Department of Housing and Urban Development doesn’t always account for every person, experiencing homelessness, including people in jail, programs, or hospitals. The Center and city officials in Lexington counted the city’s unhoused population ahead of the winter months in order to get a better idea of how to help the homeless in the winter months.

Donnie Clem, has lived on the streets for five years. He says he’s liked it, but with the winter coming up, “my legs and back are just wore out. I can’t handle it anymore. If you stay out in the open air, you will freeze. If you stay there and don’t move you will freeze to death,” he said.

Throughout the day more than 40 volunteers collected data. Ramsey says last year’s count was about 800 unhoused people. “We already way surpassed that count by two o’clock this afternoon,” she said. “The truth is, that these folks count just as much as anyone else in our community.”

According to Ramsey, the final report will be released in mid-September.