The rising number of unhoused people and lack of affordable housing are problems that many cities and states struggle with.
It’s not an issue that comes up a lot when politicians hit the campaign trail. Maybe because it seems so difficult. It’s also controversial. Do elected city officials really want to arrest people for camping on public sidewalks, which the Supreme Court now says they can?
The question is: what will work and what won’t to alleviate the state’s unhoused problem?
And it’s a growing issue in the state’s most populous area, Clark County. A point-in-time count of the unhoused found a 20 percent increase from a year ago in the number of people who don’t have a permanent place to live.
And as people vote this fall they might be thinking: Do Democrats do a better job with these issues? Do Republicans?
A year ago, Nevada lawmakers—led by Democrats -- approved state funding of $100 million to do something about the homelessness crisis. That was largely at the behest of the resort industry, which has to match the state’s $100 million to get the funding.
As we wait to see how that $200 million will be spent, the fall election nears. When it comes to our housing and unhoused crisis, does it matter who’s in charge? If Dems win super majorities in the Assembly and Senate—giving them the power to overturn any veto by the governor—will they do more about it.
Michael Lyle, a reporter for Nevada Current, has written a lot about the issue. He recently wrote about how the city of Las Vegas is going to ask the state next year for more funding to deal with the medical issues of the homeless.
“Those who are unhoused have medical needs,” he began. The city has some of that care in its one-stop-shop known as The Courtyard. But they want to expand it to have Medicaid pay for some of the care.
“This is one aspect of the homeless population that’s growing; just people that have medical needs and no place to go and it’s making problems even worse.”
He says the city’s proposal would go a long way to eliminate an alarming statistic: the growing number of unhoused who are dying on the streets, many from long-term health care needs.
“People are dying from everyday things that can be treated, whether it’s sepsis or pneumonia.”
While Las Vegas is asking for this extra help, Lyle has also written about how the cities of both Las Vegas and Henderson wrote amicus briefs in favor of a case from an Oregon city that went to the Supreme Court. And that court ruled this summer that cities have the right to enact laws to make it illegal for people to camp on sidewalks or other public places, which can be seen throughout Clark County.
Lyle added that the city already breaks up these encampments; the ruling might allow them to do more. And when he talks to elected officials, he added, they tell him it’s a safety issue and health issue.
“But when you don’t have options in low barrier places…you’re (just) shuffling people across the city, you’re not actually solving the problem.”
UNLV Assistant Professor Nick Barr, who focuses on homeless issues, says a key way to get at the homeless problem is by creating adequate and affordable housing. It’s much cheaper, he says, than the cost to taxpayers who are beset with the costs for emergency and other services that are provided as reactive rather than proactive measures.
“It’s much cheaper to house people permanently than provide them services at the place where they are housed,” he says. “While that requires an initial investment, it’s very clear that over time it’s much less costly.”
So when voters go to the polls, does it matter which party they vote for?
“Some cities run by Democrats and Republicans have made improvements,” he said. “It’s really about how they cooperate with each other rather than a right-left problem.”
Guests: Michael Lyle, reporter, Nevada Current; Nick Barr, assistant professor of social work, UNLV
