Lexington VA officials working to help homeless veterans

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - Dozens of volunteers worked Wednesday night to help the homeless population in Lexington during the annual “LexCount” initiative.

LexCount is designed to identify areas where people experiencing homelessness are, who they are, and supply them with resources.

One subsection of Lexington’s homeless population is homeless veterans. VA Lexington Health Care is offering up resources for homeless veterans in need, especially during the winter.

“It really makes a difference when you find housing for someone even if it’s just temporary for the night,” said Rebecca Bowling, housing specialist at Lexington Veterans Affairs.

Bowling’s job includes a lot of outreach within the community. Right now, they’re serving over 400 veterans within the VA and its different programs.

She says the entire VA works together to accommodate veterans, whether it be for food, healthcare, transportation or housing.

“In the winter, you see quite a few veterans, but we’re really out there working hard to make sure they’re getting shelter and the housing that they need,” Bowling said.

For Bowling, it’s a rewarding job. She says hearing their stories is what makes helping even more special.

“With our program at Hudvash and here at the Lexington VA, we get to continue that care, we get to build those relationships with our veterans and they can be long lasting, so it’s great,” Bowling said.

The Lexington VA says, regardless of the circumstances, their goal is to help as many people as they can who are in need.

They say a lot of veterans seem to be concerned about criteria when coming to Lexington VA, but Bowling says there are resources in all departments.

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