Update from Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention
In Tuesday’s Social Services and Public Safety (SSPS) Committee Meeting, Homelessness Prevention Manager Jeff Heron will present the office’s annual update on their work.
Lexington’s Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention (OHPI) does not provide direct service for homeless Lexingtonians. Instead, they work to coordinate services among several providers and help homeless residents access the services they need.
OHPI also performs cleanups of homeless encampments in Lexington.
In Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), OHPI conducted 28 encampment cleanups at an average cost of $1,850 per cleanup.
Homeless residents were only present at 9 of those cleanups.
9 people contacted during cleanups chose to participate in social services to address homelessness, with 4 of them ending up in permanent housing.
8 people declined services.
OHPI conducts the annual LexCount survey, which attempts to determine how many homeless residents there are in Lexington.
The 2024 LexCount, conducted in January of this year, estimated that there are 825 homeless Lexingtonians.
In 2023, Council passed an ordinance requiring that .3% of the City’s General Fund revenue be dedicated to OHPI. In the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget, the OHPI office received $1.4 million, nearly double what they had been allocated in past fiscal years.
There is no specific mention in the presentation of new initiatives resulting from the increase in funding for OHPI.
You can view the presentation slides starting on page
The Social Services and Public Safety Committee will meet on Tuesday, September 17th at 1pm in Council Chambers. You can attend in-person or watch live on LexTV.
