The Coalition for the Homeless says volunteers have found 156 people sleeping outdoors in Louisville during its annual count, which is up from last year's total of 112.
A statement from the organization says the increase doesn't necessarily mean the overall homeless population has grown since more volunteers were looking and were able to cover more ground and the weather was mild, meaning more people were sleeping outside.
Those living in shelters are also counted on the same night in order to come up with the homeless population on a single night. A report with the total number will be release in the spring.
Officials use the count to verify the number of homeless people in the city and help guide how resources are allocated to help them.