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Bowling Green's Homeless Population Has Slightly Increased

Flickr/Creative Commons/ BuzzFarmers

Bowling Green’s homeless population has increased slightly this year over 2016. However, local support groups believe the increase may be due to homeless individuals coming to the city from other areas.

The Kentucky Housing Corporation’srecently released count shows Warren County has a homeless population of about 150 people. That’s 22 more than were counted last year. Brent Childers, Director of Neighborhood and Community Services in Bowling Green, said some of the homeless people are coming from surrounding states and counties.

“Talking with some of our homeless providers, they’ve talked to many people who come to them seeking assistance, who are homeless and came to Bowling Green for the opportunity. They’d heard about Bowling Green being a place to get a job,” Childers said.  

Childers said one of the biggest challenges with reducing the homeless population is getting individuals who have been living on the street for a long time used to living in an apartment.

“We’ve heard about people sleeping in their car in the parking lot at the apartment. We’ve heard about people just not spending the night in the apartment, going back to the streets and then going back to the apartment to bathe and clean up and things like that,” Childers said.

He said that’s why they request those individuals continue working with a caseworker after they find housing. Daviess County reportedly has 235 homeless people, Hardin County has 64 and Christian County has about 100.

 

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