Lexington City Services, Civic Help & Emergency Safety Net
Your single, comprehensive gateway to Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government services, 24/7 crisis lines, Lextran public transit, and compassionate homeless support led by The Hope Center and The Catholic Action Center.
24/7 Emergency & Crisis Hotlines
Direct contact numbers for immediate help, safety, and urgent municipal emergencies in Fayette County.
Emergency 911
Police, Fire, and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for life-threatening situations, active crimes, or fires.
988 Suicide & Crisis
Free, confidential 24/7 support for emotional distress, suicide prevention, and substance use crises. Call or text.
311 LexCall Center
Lexington municipal service requests: potholes, streetlights, code complaints, and trash schedules.
211 United Way
United Way of the Bluegrass helpline for emergency shelter, rent relief, utility bill grants, and food pantries.
GreenHouse17
24/7 crisis line, emergency shelter, legal advocacy, and counseling for survivors of intimate partner abuse across 17 Central KY counties.
Ampersand Resource
Sexual Violence Resource Center of the Bluegrass. 24-hour crisis hotline, medical accompaniment, and confidential support.
Poison Control Center
Immediate expert medical advice for accidental poisonings, medication overdoses, and household chemical exposure.
CHFS Abuse Hotline
Kentucky Cabinet for Health & Family Services state hotline for reporting child abuse, neglect, and vulnerable adult exploitation.
Utility Outages & Gas
Lexington Homelessness Safety Net & Community Sanctuaries
Lexington has earned national recognition for its dignity-first approach to homelessness, combining municipal leadership through the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention (OHPI) with the heroic grassroots work of The Hope Center and The Catholic Action Center.
Emergency Weather Protocols: Code Blue & Code Red32°F Threshold
Whenever ambient temperature or wind chill dips to 32°F or below, LFUCG activates Code Blue. During Code Blue, shelter capacity limits are lifted, all shelters operate 24 hours, and Lextran provides free transportation to emergency shelters for anyone in need. In summer, Code Red activates cooling stations at public libraries and community centers when heat indexes exceed 95°F.
The Hope Center
Caring for hundreds of individuals daily, The Hope Center provides far more than emergency beds—it delivers comprehensive medical care, mental health counseling, long-term substance recovery, and permanent supportive housing.
360 W Loudon Ave • 859-252-7881 • 200+ emergency beds, nutritious hot meals, clean showers, clothing bank, and the nationally acclaimed George Privett long-term peer recovery program.
On-site licensed primary medical clinic, preventative examinations, diabetes management, psychiatric medication evaluation, and wound care.
Daily outreach vans navigating encampments, alleys, and parks with food, blankets, hygiene items, and direct case management connecting folks to shelter.
Specialized residential recovery center for women at 444 W Sixth St, plus dedicated transitional supportive apartments for military veterans.
The Catholic Action Center
Founded in 1999 by Etta Murdock and Barry Denton, the Catholic Action Center is a beacon of radical hospitality. Operating without a single dollar of government funding to ensure zero barrier entry, it welcomes everyone with open arms 24/7/365.
1055 Industry Rd • 859-514-7210 • 140+ beds providing safe emergency night refuge, 3 hot meals served daily (breakfast, lunch, dinner), mail collection, and telephone access.
Permanent supportive community providing dignified apartments and compassionate long-term housing for elderly, fragile, and disabled unhoused individuals.
Clean clothing closet, winter coat distribution, daily laundry service, hot showers, and a calm, safe place to rest during daytime hours.
Nightly mobile street missions delivering sack dinners, thermal socks, coats, and fresh water directly to unhoused citizens across downtown Lexington.
The Salvation Army Central KY
736 W Main St • 859-252-7706
Emergency shelter dedicated to women and children, family transitional lodging, daily community soup kitchen, and disaster response.
Call 859-252-7706 →New Life Day Center
224 MLK Jr. Blvd • 859-721-0143
Lexington's primary daytime refuge. Offers laundry, showers, mail distribution, computer workstations, and workforce re-entry case management.
Call 859-721-0143 →Arbor Youth Services
540 W Third St • 24/7 Crisis: 859-254-2501
Kentucky's only emergency shelter licensed for children and youth under 18 fleeing neglect, homelessness, or family crisis.
24/7 Crisis 859-254-2501 →Lextran Public Transit & Transit Center
Connecting every neighborhood across Lexington with affordable, accessible bus transit.
Downtown Transit Center
The central hub for all Lextran operations, located at 150 E Vine Street (between South Limestone and Rose Street).
- Climate-controlled indoor waiting concourse with live departure screens.
- Customer Service Window for pass purchases, ID cards, and route planning.
- Automated ticket vending machines accepting cash, credit, and debit.
- Free bike racks and connections to the Town Branch Commons trail.
Customer Service Phone: 859-253-INFO (4636)
Fares & Pass Options
Lextran provides some of the lowest transit fares in the Commonwealth:
Live Tracking & Wheels Paratransit
Digital navigation and accessible door-to-door transit for individuals with disabilities:
Download the MyStop app for iOS and Android to view live GPS bus icons moving on the map and accurate estimated departure times.
Shared-ride public paratransit for individuals whose disabilities prevent using standard fixed-route buses. Door-to-door reservation dispatch: 859-425-2000.
Major Lextran Bus Routes & Corridors
LFUCG Municipal Services & Waste Management
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government curbside utilities, recycling, and public works.
Lexington Curbside Carts: Herbie, Rosie & Lenny
LFUCG Division of Waste Management uses three color-coded carts to manage over 100,000 tons of household refuse, single-stream recycling, and yard waste annually:
"Herbie" • Household Trash
General landfill refuse. All trash must be bagged before going into Herbie to prevent street litter and odor.
"Rosie" • Single-Stream Recycle
Clean aluminum/steel cans, corrugated cardboard, cereal boxes, office paper, magazines, and plastic bottles & jugs (#1 and #2).
"Lenny" • Yard Waste
Leaves, grass clippings, weeds, pruned branches (under 4 ft), and garden cuttings. Converted locally into high-grade Lexington compost.
Hazardous & Electronics Facility
Located at 1631 Old Frankfort Pike. Open select Saturdays for free household disposal of paints, solvents, motor oil, batteries, fluorescent bulbs, computers, monitors, and TVs.
Snow & Ice Removal Tiers
LFUCG Streets & Roads prioritizes 1,000+ lane miles: Tier 1: Major arteries (New Circle, Man o' War, Nicholasville Rd, Richmond Rd); Tier 2: Transit routes & schools; Tier 3: Steep residential hills.
Fayette PVA & County Clerk
Property Valuation (PVA): 101 E Vine St, Ste 600 • 859-246-2722.
Fayette County Clerk (Vehicle Tabs & Deeds): 162 E Main St • 859-253-3344.
Lexington-Fayette County Public Health & Community Clinics
Affordable, compassionate clinical healthcare, immunizations, and harm reduction.
Lexington-Fayette County Health Department (LFCHD)
650 Newtown Pike • Phone: 859-288-2425
The public health authority serving Lexington residents with evidence-based preventative care regardless of income or insurance coverage:
- • Immunizations: Childhood vaccines, seasonal flu, COVID-19 boosters, and travel immunizations.
- • Harm Reduction Program: Anonymous, non-judgmental syringe exchange, free Naloxone (Narcan) kits, and fentanyl test strip distribution to prevent overdoses.
- • Women, Infants & Children (WIC): Nutritional food vouchers, breastfeeding counseling, and infant health screenings.
- • Infectious Disease Testing: Confidential screening and treatment for tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis, and STIs.
HealthFirst Bluegrass Community Health Centers
496 Southland Drive • 1640 Bryan Station Road • 859-288-2425
A federally qualified health center (FQHC) offering sliding-scale fee primary care so no Lexingtonian is denied medical or dental treatment:
- • Family Medicine & Pediatrics: Wellness checks, chronic illness management (hypertension, asthma, diabetes).
- • Dental Clinics: Cleanings, cavity fillings, extractions, and restorative dental care for adults and children.
- • Behavioral Health: Licensed clinical social workers and psychiatric therapy for anxiety, depression, and trauma.
- • Sliding-Scale Discounts: Fees adjusted down based on household income and family size; Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance accepted.
Lexington Public Libraries & Nature Sanctuaries
Civic discovery spaces, technology access, and preserved Bluegrass landscapes.
Lexington Public Library (6 Branches)
More than book repositories—Lexington's libraries are high-tech civic hubs offering free high-speed gigabit Wi-Fi, computer workstations, passport services, job search labs, and community meeting rooms:
Signature City Nature Sanctuaries
LFUCG Parks & Recreation maintains over 100 parks, public golf courses, and preserved natural geological wonders:
Frequently Asked Civic Questions
Verified answers to the most common local government, transit, and shelter questions.
How do I report a pothole, street light outage, or code violation?
Simply dial 311 (or 859-425-2255) to speak with a LexCall customer service representative between 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. You can also download the LexCall 311 app for your smartphone to snap a photo with GPS coordinates and submit service requests 24/7.
What is Lexington's Code Blue winter emergency protocol?
Code Blue is an emergency humanitarian plan triggered whenever temperatures or wind chills fall to 32°F or below. During Code Blue, Lextran buses provide free transportation to emergency shelters, bed capacities at The Hope Center and Catholic Action Center are expanded, and daylight warming centers open at public libraries and community centers.
Where can someone experiencing homelessness get a hot meal and emergency shelter tonight?
Men can go directly to The Hope Center (360 W Loudon Ave; 859-252-7881). Anyone needing safe shelter and unconditional hospitality can go to The Catholic Action Center (1055 Industry Rd; 859-514-7210) which operates 24/7. Women and families can go to The Salvation Army (736 W Main St; 859-252-7706), and unaccompanied youth under 18 can call Arbor Youth Services 24/7 at 859-254-2501.
How do I ride Lextran for free, and what are the pass costs?
University of Kentucky students and staff ride all Lextran fixed routes for free by tapping their valid UK Wildcard ID. Standard bus fare for the general public is $1.00 per ride (50¢ for seniors 62+, youth, or disabled passengers) with free transfers within 90 minutes. 1-day passes are $3.00, and 30-day passes are $30.00.
What happens if I miss my trash day or need a bulky item pickup?
Contact LexCall 311 to report a missed collection within 24 hours. For bulky items like mattresses, couches, or large appliances, residents with city trash service can request up to four free bulky pickups per calendar year by calling 311 or scheduling online via lexingtonky.gov.
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