Kentucky’s Homeless Numbers Released

Count Reveals Over 7,000 Homeless Individuals Across State on a Single Day

Kentucky Housing Corporation (KHC), the state housing finance agency, announced that 7,136 homeless individuals were counted during the statewide Point-In-Time Homeless Count, which took place between the hours of 12:00 a.m. to 11:59 p.m., local time, on January 24, 2008.  The 2008 count is the first time the entire state participated in the count on the same day using the same survey instrument.

“Because it is often difficult to pinpoint and survey Kentucky’s homeless, particularly our rural homeless where temporary shelter may not be available, the results of the Homeless Point-in-Time Count are significant as we seek assistance from the federal government to help our homeless,” said Governor Steve Beshear.  “We are fortunate to have an organization like Kentucky Housing Corporation we can rely on to organize, promote volunteer help, implement and tabulate this annual count and we thank all Kentuckians who assisted.”

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) requires that the count be conducted every other year.  To more accurately count the homeless population, Kentucky counts every year.  HUD uses data collected during the count to determine how much funding will be available for homeless assistance in the state.  KHC estimates that given the total homeless persons counted, Kentucky will qualify for over $15 million in funding from HUD to support Kentucky’s homeless programs.

Jefferson County (Louisville), Fayette County (Lexington) and the Balance of State (the other 118 Kentucky counties) submit three separate funding applications to HUD.  Because of the separate funding, the three areas had held previous counts independently of each other.  KHC coordinates the count in the Balance of State and spearheaded the statewide efforts this year to hold the count during the same time bracket with the same survey instrument.

“Having a statewide coordinated effort is vital to the success and accuracy of the count,” said KHC Interim Chief Executive Officer Richard L. McQuady.  “We appreciate the efforts of the volunteers, coordinators and partners who participated this year.”

HUD defines homeless as persons who are sleeping in places not meant for human habitation, sleeping in emergency shelters or living in transitional or supportive housing but were previously living on the streets.  Persons may also be considered homeless if, within seven days, they are being evicted from private dwelling units or being discharged from institutions with no expectation of having a nighttime residence upon eviction or discharge.

“Since the count took place, I have had several people say to me, ‘I really didn’t realize people were living like that,’” said Deborah Williams, executive director of the Housing Assistance and Development Services, Inc., in Bowling Green, who coordinated the count in one of the regions.  “As with most things, awareness brings action and solutions.”

A point-in-time count is a method to count the number of homeless persons at a particular place, within a specific time period, on a given day.  During the 2007 count, 7,227 homeless individuals were counted in the state.

More information, including demographic breakdowns and county-by-county data, is available on the Kentucky Homeless Web site at www.kyhomeless.org.