LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Lexington shelter is adding more resources to help individuals experiencing homelessness transition back to being on their own.

The $6.8 million expansion to the Hope Center in Lexington provides 72 beds for transitional housing, 32 of which are designated for veterans experiencing homelessness.

Emmanuel Bell is a veteran living in the Hope Center’s transitional and veterans housing addition to its Emergency Shelter, which opened its doors Wednesday.

“You get some type of structure, and to get that structure kind of helps out a whole lot," Bell said.

Bell served in the U.S. Army from 1985 to 1988 and has been in and out of The Hope Center since it opened in 1993.

Bell told attendees at Wednesday's ribbon-cutting that he used to sleep on a mattress on the floor in

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