Homelessness is growing throughout Nevada, but especially in Clark County.
Last fall, the county reported that estimated homelessness had increased 36% since 2022. Nationwide, the federal government reported an 18% increase from 2023 to 2024.
Various local attempts have been made to reduce those numbers. The $25 million Courtyard Homeless Resource Center in downtown Las Vegas is one. Clark County also collects money from marijuana business fees that goes to homeless services.
Then two years ago, state lawmakers passed a bipartisan bill granting $100 million in taxpayer funds — to be matched by the resort industry — to create a unique campus that copies a program in San Antonio called Close to Home, run by Kate Vela. There, the success rate is said to be as high as 90%, meaning 90% who go through it get out of the cycle of homelessness. It reportedly reduced homelessness 25% in five years.
The fund is almost completely matched, and plans are being made for a 20-acre site on Charleston and Jones boulevards to create the project, called Campus for Hope.
Guests: Nicholas Barr, assistant professor of social work, UNLV; Ellen Whittemore, board member, Campus for Hope; Meredith Spriggs, chief kindness officer, Caridad
