# Lexington's Homelessness Task Force Continues Work on Shelter Solutions **Published:** 2026-07-08T16:00:00.000Z **Source:** [LFUCG Meeting Archive](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6825) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/lexington-s-homelessness-task-force-continues-work-on-shelter-solutions LEXINGTON, Ky. — [The Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness held a meeting July 8](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6825), continuing its efforts to develop comprehensive strategies for addressing the city's growing homelessness crisis. [Convened by Mayor Linda Gorton in response to findings from the June 2025 Emergency Homeless Shelter Study](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/initiatives/task-force-homelessness), the task force has been tasked with reviewing the city's emergency shelter system and developing recommendations for strategic improvements. [Lexington reported 925 people experiencing homelessness in 2025, up from 825 the previous year](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/lexington-forms-new-task-force-to-address-growing-homelessness-crisis), prompting city leaders to seek new approaches. [The task force is co-chaired by Diane Fleet, Associate Director of GreenHouse 17, and Abdul Muhammad, Central Kentucky Market President of WesBanco.](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/mayors-task-force-homelessness-plans-first-meeting) [In May, the task force approved $3.9 million in combined appropriations, including $2.4 million for emergency disaster shelter funding and $1.5 million for an Innovative and Sustainable Solutions Fund](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/05/13/task-force-outlines-ambitious-plan-to-address-lexington-homelessness-crisis/). [The group discussed implementing a roughly 500-bed shelter system centered on potential expansion at the Versailles Road campus, which would serve families, elderly people and those with disabilities.](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/05/13/task-force-outlines-ambitious-plan-to-address-lexington-homelessness-crisis/) [The task force emphasized creating low-barrier shelter options, enhancing existing facilities, improving case management and developing strategies for eviction prevention](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/05/13/task-force-outlines-ambitious-plan-to-address-lexington-homelessness-crisis/), according to earlier meeting records. [The task force is grounding its work in data from the 2025 Emergency Shelter Study while being informed by national best practices, local context and community input.](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/mayors-task-force-homelessness-plans-first-meeting) The city has made broader investments in homelessness prevention. [Mayor Gorton proposed $2.2 million in supportive housing and treatment services for people experiencing homelessness in her most recent budget](https://news.civiclex.org/lexington-mayor-proposes-new-budget-whats-in-it/), while [the budget also includes $5 million for the city's Extended Social Resource two-year grant program, which supports local nonprofits working on community needs and emergency shelter.](https://news.civiclex.org/lexington-mayor-proposes-new-budget-whats-in-it/) ## Sources - [LFUCG Meeting Archive](https://meetings.lexingtonky.news/meeting/6825) - [Task Force on Homelessness official page](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/government/initiatives/task-force-homelessness) - [LEX 18: Lexington forms new task force to address growing homelessness crisis](https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/lexington-forms-new-task-force-to-address-growing-homelessness-crisis) - [Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness plans first meeting](https://www.lexingtonky.gov/news/mayors-task-force-homelessness-plans-first-meeting) - [Lexington Times: Task force outlines ambitious plan](https://lexingtonky.news/2026/05/13/task-force-outlines-ambitious-plan-to-address-lexington-homelessness-crisis/) - [Civic Lex: Lexington Mayor proposes new budget](https://news.civiclex.org/lexington-mayor-proposes-new-budget-whats-in-it/) --- 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/6825.