LEXINGTON, Ky. — House Bill 5, also known as the Safer Kentucky Act, has drawn criticism from several organizations. There are groups that feel a section of the bill targets people experiencing homelessness.

What You Need To Know

  • A section of House Bill 5 bans camping in areas meant for pedestrians or vehicles that are not designated for sleeping or camping

  • This section of the bill concerns advocates and organizations that support the homeless  

  • Several organizations came together to form a survey about the bill

  • The groups will survey Kentuckians' feelings on HB 5

Street Voice Council, along with other organizations, came together to create a survey to give Kentuckians a voice on the matter.

If the bill passes, it would ban camping on streets or any area meant for pedestrians or vehicles and not designated for sleeping or camping.

Aren Gayhart has stayed at the Catholic Action Center off-and-on since around 2017. Mental health conditions have made it difficult for her to get a job, leading her to experience homelessness for about the last decade. 

“We don’t choose to be homeless," Gayhart said. "It just happens that way sometimes. You just draw the short end of the stick, and you never know when you’re one paycheck away from being homeless.”

Gayhart and Street Voice Council members will go to Frankfort Wednesday to discuss HB 5 with legislators.

After that meeting, the results of the survey will be announced during a press conference. This survey is in response to an out-of-state survey that was used to draw up part of HB 5.

Ginny Ramsey, director and co-founder of the Catholic Action Center, said the out-of-state survey does not capture the spirit of Kentucky.

“That’s why we did a survey and the Street Voice Council, along with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth, Catholic Action Center and Central Kentucky Housing and Homeless all came together to work on what type of questions would also be educational for the folks and let people understand what the real ramifications of House Bill 5 as it stands now with homelessness,” Ramsey said.

HB 5 passed the House last month, and an amended version went to the Senate. One change allows people to sleep in their cars for up to 12 hours.

“We didn’t choose to be here," Gayhart said. "This is where we got stuck."

"Instead of criminalizing us, they need to help us.”

The survey, which can be found on the Catholic Action Center's website, will close Monday at 11:45 p.m.

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