More homeless families with children on the streets, Lexington city officials say

LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Lexington city officials say there has been a steady increase in homelessness.

"Our count shows yes," said Charlie Lanter, commissioner of housing advocacy. "It's trending up nationwide, it's trending up statewide, it's trending up in Lexington."

However, Lanter says, it's the demographic that's emerging that's the most concerning.

"What we're seeing is a couple of different things we've not seen before, we're seeing more families, more families with children," said Lanter.

He calls that "situational homelessness." He described it as something like a lost job, a large unexpected bill, or losing transportation that pushes someone to pick up a sign and panhandle.

"We tend to make assumptions that someone holding a s