People who have firsthand experience with homelessness were among the speakers who addressed a group of around 35 people near the District Courthouse.
"I'm ready to do this," one speaker said. "I'm sick and tired of people getting ran over. I'm sick and tired of homeless people getting ran over. I've been homeless myself."
The event comes as Lexington and cities across the state work to comply with new statewide provisions prohibiting unauthorized street camping. House Bill 5, a sweeping anti-crime measure, passed the General Assembly in 2024.
This year, Mayor Linda Gorton announced the creation of a new "Encampment Coordinator" position. The administration says it's not related to House Bill 5, instead describing it as a civilian position meant to connect unhoused people with city resources.
One theme of Tuesday's event: Housing proved a pivotal point in speakers' journeys with addiction and recovery. Their message: More needs to be done to help people get off the streets — and not into jail cells.
Standing off to the side is Mark Clements. He says, at 75, he sees battles from the 60s over civil rights and women's rights being refought. Regarding housing, he said he wishes the city and more residents would step up to help provide for people on the streets.
"They tend to stay hidden even though they're in plain sight. We walk past them every day with signs and sitting in the street. And I understand that it's not a simple problem. There could be psychological problems. There could be drug addictions. There could be just hard times," he says. "A lot of the housing situation in the country, and I've heard this, there are enough houses out there to house everybody. But they're there to make money for people, and they would rather let them sit empty than lower the rates and give people a affordable housing."
VOCAL-KY, the organizers, say a year since the high court decision permitting rules like Kentucky's new anti-camping law, over 150 cities have implemented policies "making it illegal to be homeless" without tackling the affordable housing crisis.
The state legislature did not deliver on major housing initiatives promised this year. Meanwhile, Lexington continues to add money to its Affordable Housing Fund, created in 2014 to help pay for housing projects aimed at low-income Lexington residents.