COVINGTON, Ky. — Historically, people experiencing homelessness have been at risk of being undercounted by the government, but on Wednesday, volunteers in Kentucky will help with the state's K-Count to help give a better representation of Kentuckians experiencing homelessness.
According to the Kentucky Housing Corporation, the K-Count "helps determine how much federal funding will be awarded from HUD for homeless programs," and it gives officials an insight into how programs to end homelessness in Kentucky are doing.
A study published by the Center on Poverty and Inequality said people experiencing homelessness are difficult to count given their transitory status as well as living in hard-to-reach locales like unsheltered locations.
These difficulties in undercounting can lead to loss of funding for programs communities need, and a new ordinance accepted in Covington Tuesday night would be directly impacted by this loss of funding.
The ordinance places new requirements on homeless shelters in order to operate, including operating for 24 hours a day, using mattresses and box springs with water-repellent covers and having a full list of names of people staying at the shelter.
The K-Count is required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to be carried out every two years in order to receive funding for homeless programs. However, Kentucky carries out the count every year.
