LEXINGTON, Ky. — As temperatures warm up in Kentucky, temporary shelters designed to keep people without a roof out of extreme cold are closing for the season.

What You Need To Know

  • Hope Village, a temporary winter shelter in Lexington, is closed for the year 

  • It was funded by Lexington American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to get homeless people out of bitter cold 

  • The shelter provided 17,000 nights of lodging from November to March 

  • The Hope Center said the need warrants a similar shelter next winter

Crews began deconstructing Hope Village in Lexington Monday, a temporary winter shelter. The shelter is coming down for the season after providing 17,000 nights of lodging from November to March.

Destiny Oakley, Hope Center assistant director of development, said the need exceeded expectations.

The Hope Center and its staff operated the makeshift village to keep homeless Lexingtonians out of the bitter cold.

“We averaged about 134 residents a night, with the highest peak of 221 people here on one of the coldest nights this season," Oakley said.

The winter shelter was a collaboration between the Hope Center, YMCA and the City of Lexington. Residents began moving out Monday as the lease expired to keep the village operating on YMCA property. Oakley said the goal is for these shelters to be a place of temporary residence while people get back on their feet.

“The city has been hosting weekly housing fairs to connect these residents to the city’s different resources and opportunities for rental assistance or housing needs, as well as a lot of community partners coming in regularly to connect with them," Oakley said.

The city funded this past season’s Hope Village with ARPA funds. Because those COVID-19 era dollars are drying up, Oakley said it’s time to discuss solutions for this coming winter.

“We don’t yet know if it will look exactly like this or who might be involved or what it might look like, but there is the need, so there are definitely conversations about what this looks like moving forward," Oakley said. "We have a few months to figure that out before our winter comes again."

During the spring months, the Hope Center shelter continues to house the homeless, provide aid on the streets and operate recovery and treatment programs.

“We never really say we reach capacity; we’re kind of always doors open and find a space for you," Oakley said. "It is a need that we continue to see in this city and continue to serve people and extend that hand,."

Anyone in need of housing should contact the Hope Center’s emergency shelter at 859-252-7881. Those not in Lexington or needing assistance can always call the United Way’s 2-1-1 line.

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