# Global Lex reports growth in services for Lexington's international community **Published:** 2026-06-09T16:00:00.000Z **Source:** [LFUCG Meeting Archive](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6796) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/global-lex-reports-growth-in-services-for-lexington-s-international-community LEXINGTON, Ky. — [The Social Services & Public Safety Committee heard an update Tuesday](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6796) from Global Lex, the city's international engagement office, as the organization expands its multilingual services to support a rapidly growing foreign-born population in Lexington. [Executive Director Dr. Basel Touchan](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/dr-basel-touchan-named-executive-director-global-lex), who took the helm of the office at the beginning of the year, presented data showing the scale of Lexington's international community. Between January and May, Global Lex staff supported residents from at least 15 countries and helped bridge language gaps through services offered in nine languages, despite the office having just five staff members. The data reflects Lexington's significant linguistic diversity. In Fayette County Public Schools, [approximately 23 percent of students are English language learners](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/departments-programs/global-lex/about-lexingtons-international-population), with Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, Nepali and French among the most commonly spoken languages. Touchan noted that roughly 202,000 active languages were supported across the county during a recent period through partnerships with UK Healthcare and local interpretation services. The office operates [Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., providing support in person, virtually, and through text and email](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/departments-programs/global-lex/global-lex-services). Touchan emphasized that Global Lex serves residents regardless of how long they have lived in Lexington, from newcomers to long-term residents. During its four-month reporting period, Global Lex hosted 12 community convenings and reached approximately 12,000 residents through tabling and outreach events. The office expanded its educational programming to include English language classes, citizenship and civic workshops, and tax fraud awareness seminars in partnership with the University of Kentucky. Lexington's position as [the county with the highest percentage of immigrants in Kentucky, with slightly more than 10 percent of the population](https://www.wkyt.com/2024/11/01/wkyt-investigates-immigration/), underscores the growing importance of services that Global Lex provides. The office also assists Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government in meeting federal Title VI compliance requirements regarding language access to city services. Looking ahead, Touchan indicated that Global Lex would continue expanding its summer programming and community partnerships as the organization works to strengthen connections between Lexington's international communities and local government resources. ## Sources - [LFUCG Meeting Archive](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6796) - [Dr. Basel Touchan Named Executive Director of Global Lex](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/dr-basel-touchan-named-executive-director-global-lex) - [Global Lex Services | City of Lexington, Kentucky](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/departments-programs/global-lex/global-lex-services) - [About Lexington's International Population | City of Lexington, Kentucky](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/departments-programs/global-lex/about-lexingtons-international-population) - [WKYT Investigates: Immigration in Kentucky](https://www.wkyt.com/2024/11/01/wkyt-investigates-immigration/) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from LFUCG Meeting Archive, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6796.