An update on last week’s presentation on a potential new homeless shelter
A map of suitable sites for a new homeless shelter that LFUCG could finance. Source: June 3rd Council Work Session Packet.
Last week, Ed Holmes of EHI Consulting presented an overview of the Homelessness Emergency Shelter Feasibility Study they conducted to evaluate how many emergency homeless shelter beds are needed in Lexington, and what it would look like financially for LFUCG to develop a new homeless emergency shelter. You can find our write-up of the presentation here.
Before the presentation began, Mayor Linda Gorton announced that she will create a Task Force on Homelessness.
This Task Force, which will begin meeting sometime this fall, will develop a set of recommendations for how LFUCG can implement the findings of the study.
The Mayor’s Administration has not announced the names of anyone serving on the Task Force at this point.
A major discussion point in last week’s Work Session — and one that will continue to come up — is where a shelter could be located.
Holmes and Commissioner of Housing Advocacy and Community Development Charlie Lanter stressed that the four sites named in the study were examples of sites that would work well for a shelter and not the only four sites that the City should consider.
District 1 Councilmember Tyler Morton and District 6 Councilmember Denise Gray both mentioned that the Northside of Lexington hosts the overwhelming majority of homeless shelters and housing service organizations in Lexington, which they argue is reason for a new homeless shelter to not be located in their Districts.
No action was taken on this item.
